MATLOCK FINED £80 FOR STEALING PROSECCO AND GIN FROM SUPERMARKETS

A Newchurch man with more than 50 criminal convictions to his name has been fined £80 after he admitted stealing alcohol from 2 supermarkets last month. Jamie Matlock, 42, of Hope Mead in Newchurch, pleaded guilty to 2x theft from a shop when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Tuesday 28th November. Ann Smout, prosecuting, told the court that on 22nd October 2023, Matlock entered Tesco in Lake and took a bottle of Prosecco, leaving the store and making no attempt to pay. Later in the evening, Matlock entered the Co-op in Sandown and stole 2 bottles of Gordon’s Gin. Both of the incidents were caught on CCTV. Matlock had spent some 6 weeks in custody in August and September before being released on 28th September. Less than a month later he committed these further offences. A representative from the probation service said that Matlock has been convicted 54 times for 131 offences and that the father had struggled with Class A substance abuse since 1996. Defending Matlock, Michael McGoldrick said that these offences weren’t committed to fund a heroin habit and that Matlock simply wanted to raise some cash after his benefits were stopped following his stint behind bars. Magistrates fined Matlock £80 and ordered him to pay compensation of £42 and a £32 surcharge fee.