Magistrates said this would have affected Joshua Simpkins’ addiction rehabilitation so instead handed him a second suspended sentence, three months after he admitted to stealing perfumes worth £560 from Boots in Salisbury.
Simpkins was back in the dock at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on January 3.
He pleaded guilty to stealing products worth £72.96 from Boots on September 13, 2024 and Gillette razor blades valued at £124 from Sainsbury’s on January 2, 2025.
Magistrates were told his offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified but handed him 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
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This will be served concurrently with a 16-week prison sentence he was handed in November, which was suspended for one year.
Court documents say: “The custodial sentence has been suspended because the court found that defendant now has accommodation and is starting to address his addictions.
“If he were to go to prison, it would only be for a short time and he would lose that accommodation and would not be able to rehabilitate.”
Simpkins was not told to pay any compensation to Boots or Sainsbury’s, but he had to comply with the instructions of a responsible officer for up to 10 days.