A 48-YEAR-OLD alcoholic admitted to repeatedly stealing bottles of vodka to give him a “quick fix” for his addiction.

Darryn Liddell, of Pendleton Road South, Darlington, was caught on the fourth occasion that he took a large bottle of vodka from Morrisons' North Road store.

CCTV footage showed Liddell had routinely visited the same shop to steal single bottles of vodka at a time, worth between £6 and £11 each, in June and July.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard this week that Liddell was previously spoken to by Morrisons staff in December last year over shop thefts and had promised he “could and would change”.

Joanne Hesse, prosecuting, said: “When he was arrested and interviewed, he stated he was an alcoholic and needed the vodka for a quick fix and had drank it as soon as he got out of the shop.

“He said he was sorry for what he had done.”

The court heard Liddell was previously self-employed, but was forced to give up his business after turning to alcohol.

Robert Willoughby, mitigating, said: “His mother passed away in tragic circumstances and that affected him very badly.

“At that point, he was self-employed as a mechanic and was married. He started drinking excessively and his marriage broke down and he couldn’t hold on to his job.

“He suffered from seizures from the drinking and he’s been a fairly frequent offender before the courts ever since.”

Liddell pleaded guilty to shop thefts of Imperial Vodka from Morrisons on June 27, June 29 and July 2.

Magistrates gave the 48-year-old a 12-month community order with support from probation services.