A PENSIONER stole a £13 coat from Primark to keep warm, a court was told.

Michael John Patrick Folan, 61, appeared before Kirklees magistrates accused of theft from the New Street store on November 17.

The court heard how Folan, of Bradley Mills Lane, put on the coat in a stairwell, then put his jacket on top. He then left without attempting to pay. He was later spotted by security staff in Huddersfield and arrested.

Prosecutor Linda Fowler said the coat had been recovered and told officers he had taken it because ‘he was cold’.

Sonia Kidd, in mitigation, said her client committed offences out of desperation.

She asked the bench for leniency due to the nature of the offence and the full and frank admission at the first opportunity.

Folan received a conditional discharge for 12 months. He was issued to pay £15 victim surcharge and £85 costs.