A man caught stealing from a shop then tried to harm himself with a screwdriver, a court heard.
Colin Winteringham was stopped by a member of security staff as he took a bottle of perfume from Boots in Huddersfield.
He pleaded guilty to theft and going equipped for the offence when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
The 56-year-old is now banned from all Boots stores in the county as he awaits sentencing.
The court heard that he was monitored by a security guard after entering the King Street store on January 27.
Winteringham was watched via the CCTV cameras as he took a tester bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier perfume worth £76 from the display, put it in his bag and then leave.
Vanessa Jones, prosecuting, said: “He was followed outside, appeared distressed and tried to harm himself with a screwdriver.”
Sonia Kidd, mitigating, said that her client had wanted to hurt himself and not the security guard.
She added that at the time his benefits had been stopped and he now needed some help and support.
Winteringham, of Well Grove in Sheepridge, was told that his case needed to be adjourned for an assessment by probation staff.
In the meantime he can not enter any Boots store in West Yorkshire.
