A MAN asked magistrates to send him to prison so that he could get clean from drugs.

David Hughes brought two bags packed full of his belongings to Kirklees Magistrates’ Court after committing several thefts.

The court heard how the 35-year-old returned to a life of crime after his little girl was taken away from him.

Hughes, of Cambridge Hotel in Clare Hill, was caught stealing boxes of paracetamol from a Dewsbury store on November 24.

The theft put him in breach of a deferred sentence order made by magistrates for three other shoplifting offences.

The Huddersfield bench was told that Hughes stole boxes of paracetamol, worth £49, from the Poundworld store in Market Place.

He was caught after staff gave chase and police were called.

Magistrates heard that Hughes was last in court on November 20 for three thefts.

These included a theft of £260 worth of fragrance from Boots and shirts worth over £340 from House of Fraser in Huddersfield.