A Pembroke man today admitted stealing an electric drill and a bolt set to sell for food.

Raymond Robinson, 52, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, both related to incidents that took place last week.

At around 4.50pm last Wednesday, staff at Price Rite in Pembroke attended to Robinson, but after he left they realised he was on a list of potential shoplifters at the store.

Staff members then reviewed CCTV footage from the afternoon and saw the defendant remove a $73 cordless drill from a shelf and place it under his shirt before leaving the store.

At around 3pm on Friday, an employee at the Sears Store was speaking to a customer on the phone when he noticed Robinson enter and go to the store’s second floor.

The employee recognised Robinson from a list of shoplifting suspects and, while continuing to speak to the customer on the phone, watched Robinson through the CCTV system.

As he watched, Robinson removed a package from a shelf, placed it in his pants, and began to leave the store.

Confronted, Robinson denied having stolen anything until he was shown the CCTV footage by store staff. He then pulled a 12-piece nut and driver set, valued at $53, from his pants.

After pleading guilty to the offences, Robinson apologised to the court, saying he only stole the items because he was hungry.

“I was wrong, your honour,” he said. “I was trying, but I was out of work and I needed to eat. I am sorry.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo noted that Robinson has a long list of previous offences including multiple charges for stealing food, questioning if he had been stealing to support an addiction — something Robinson steadfastly denied.

The magistrate ordered court reports be carried out on the defendant, releasing him on $1,000 bail until July 14, when he will return for sentencing.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding criminal court cases. As we are legally liable for any slanderous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.