A MAN with what a judge described as one of the worst criminal records he had ever seen was yesterday jailed for more than a year for his latest offences.

Dennis Tonkin, who was described by his own barrister as "a public nuisance", was locked up for 56 weeks for two counts of theft.

The 33-year-old, from Middlesbrough, has 75 previous convictions arising from 164 offences, going back to when he was a schoolboy in 1987.

Teesside Crown Court was told Tonkin went on a shoplifting spree on March 6, just three days after he received a suspended prison sentence for three counts of burglary.

Tonkin was spotted by staff at Savers in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, shoving bottles of shampoo inside his jacket, but fled when he was challenged.

When he was arrested the following day, he claimed he had a number of enemies in the store, because of a previous relationship, and the allegation was malicious.

But Sue Jacobs, prosecuting, told the court that on May 12, Tonkin was caught trying to steal two bottles of perfume worth £59 from the town's Boots store.

Paul Newcombe, in mitigation, said Tonkin had been brought to his senses by his latest remand in custody, and urged the court not to jail him because he could lose his flat.

Mr Newcombe said he could end up back on the streets or in bed and breakfast accommodation, and return to a heroin addiction he had recently kicked.

"He is a public nuisance, that much is clear," said Mr Newcombe. "His behaviour is a nuisance and anti-social."

A pre-sentence report highlighted Tonkin as at a high risk of re-offending, but his barrister claimed the conclusion was "a little unfair".

He added: "He is fearful of losing the flat and has been jolted into his senses by this latest court appearance and has great hopes that he will have more motivation not to offend again."

But Judge David Bryant told Tonkin, of Astonbury Green: "The writer of the pre-sentence report said that your risk of further offending was very high. Your counsel challenges that.

"If anything, that seems to me to be an understatement. It is as near certainty as one can get.

"You have already this year been convicted on six separate occasions. You were convicted on 11 occasions last year. In terms of quantity of convictions, if not of seriousness, I can't recall seeing a worse record - well into three figures."