A serial Lincoln shoplifter stole cheese, deodorant and air fresheners to give as Christmas presents to his family.

David Lang, 31, admitted two charges of theft from the Co-op store in Dunholme at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court when he appeared there last Friday.

His haul included six Ambi-Pur air freshener refills, Lynx deodorant, cheese and coffee.

The court heard that he was captured on CCTV during the first offence, on November 18 last year, before being stopped with the items in his possession during the second theft three days later.

Lang has 26 previous convictions and had previously been subject to a curfew order.

In mitigation, defence solicitor Rachel Taylor said that her client had not been convicted of a crime since June 2013 and had found work with Stagecoach during that time.

She added that Lang had since been suffering from severe depression which caused him to lose his job with the transport company.

“They (the stolen items) were Christmas presents for his family. His partner is expecting his first child in two days and he is very disappointed – he is an entirely different person to previously and he is hoping to return to work.”

Lang said that he committed the thefts while visiting a friend who lived near the Co-op store and that he was ‘not thinking straight’ during the offences.

The magistrate handed Lang, of Montaigne Crescent, 80 hours of unpaid work, telling him he needed ‘something to focus on.’

He was also given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay compensation of £103.80, costs of £85 and a £60 surcharge.