A THIEF who stole a mobile phone received a hefty fine after pleading guilty to the offence at South Cumbria Magistrates' Court.

Jeffrey Hayton, 49, stole the Sony Z3 Compact mobile phone, which has a value of £375, from Kendal’s Vodafone store in the Westmorland Shopping Centre on May 15.

CCTV showed Hayton picking up the phone, peeling off the security sticker and putting it in his pocket before walking away having made no attempt to pay for the item.

In mitigation, John Batty claimed his client thought it was a dummy phone but admitted that he was drunk at the time of the incident.

The phone has never been recovered as Hayton was living rough at the time and claims it was stolen from his tent.

District Judge Gerald Chalk called Hayton’s actions ‘"a short sighted act of dishonesty’" and fined him £670.