A THIEF stole more than £200 worth of Barbie dolls from an Asda in Runcorn in a bid to make some cash.

Andrew Hearne was caught red handed on two separate occasions shop lifting from the supermarket located on West Lane.

The 45-year-old appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court for a number of charges including two counts of theft and obstructing a constable.

Nicola Parr, prosecuting, told the court of two separate occasions when Hearne entered the Asda store and stole luxury goods.

The first occasion taking place on November 21, when Hearne stole a number of Barbie dolls amounting to the value of £224.

And the second occasion being when the defendant entered the shop on January 6 and stole a number of candles worth £60.

Ms Parr said the offences showed a ‘degree of planning’ and added that the offences were aggravated due to Hearne’s previous theft convictions.

The defendant was also sentenced for separate charges relating to an incident which took place on December 31, 2023.

The prosecuting barrister told the court that two police officers attended the defendants address to carry out an arrest for separate allegations and asked Hearne if he would stand up and he refused.

One officer took one of the defendant’s arms in a bid to detain him and the defendant shouted slander at the officers, calling them both a ‘f*cking bell**d’.

“He was leaning on a lamppost to make it difficult to get him into the van,” Ms Parr added.

Defending, Mr Birchall said there was no degree of planning, when referring to the theft offences, stating that his client ‘stole the items for money’.

He added, in relation to the obstructing a constable offences, that Hearne was drunk at the time and was leaning against the lamppost because he ‘could not stand up’.

Chair of the bench, Peter Hall, handed Hearne, of Grangeway, Runcorn, a community order with conditions including 60 hours of unpaid work and a bill of compensation to pay to cover the costs of the stolen items, totalling £284.