A drugged-up shoplifter admitted that he targeted the same supermarket twice.
Graeme Peterson was on a suspended jail term when he committed the thefts at Sainsbury’s in Huddersfield.
But a district judge said that to send the 52-year-old to prison would be a “colossal waste of money” and handed him a community order instead.
Peterson was caught taking groceries worth just over £15 from the Market Street branch between November 2 and 8.
He tested positive for the misuse of cocaine following his arrest and Kirklees Magistrates’ Court was told that he uses the class A drug every other weekend.
But he didn’t see this as a problem and said he didn’t commit the offences to fund his drug habit.
District Judge Michael Fanning heard that Peterson, of Warrenside in Deighton, was on a four month suspended jail term at the time of the thefts but decided not to activate this sentence and send him straight to custody.
He said: “He’s completed the requirements of that sentence so it would be a colossal waste of money.
“His offending is slowing down and his mother is in ill health.”
Instead Peterson was sentenced to a community order for six months with 10 days of rehabilitation activities. He will have to pay £85 costs, £85 court charge and £15.35 compensation to Sainsbury’s as the stolen items were not recovered.