A SHOPLIFTER with a sweet tooth has admitted stealing more than two hundred chocolate bars, as well as 34 cans of Red Bull and a Victoria sponge cake.

John O'Hear, who is 30 and lives in St Paul's Road, Bournemouth, appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court last week to admit seven counts of theft.

The court heard he frequented branches of Tesco Express in The Triangle and Holdenhurst Road to steal. However, his biggest theft – 29 Galaxy bars, 20 Cadbury Dairy Milk bars and 97 Lindt bars – was committed at Boots in Commercial Road.

Between May 11 and August 25 he stole 260 bars of chocolate, including 112 Lindt bars.

Magistrates adjourned the case until later this month for an all-options Probation Service report. Officials have been asked to consider the possibility that O'Hear would benefit from a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement.