Cairns court told of dad's rash nappy move
A JOBLESS new dad struggling to pay the bills tried to walk out of a supermarket with stolen nappies shoved down his shorts.
John Robert Edwards, 21, was fined $200 in Cairns Magistrates’ Court yesterday after pleading guilty to shoplifting at Coles’ Smithfield store about 3.45pm on February 20.
Edwards was seen in the store opening a packet of disposable nappies, removing three and putting them down the front of his shorts before walking out of the store, police prosecutor Troy Sutton said.
When caught, he removed the nappies and agreed to pay the $11.50 price, Constable Sutton said.
Defence barrister Kylie Hillard said her client needed the nappies for his eight-month-old baby.
"He’s on Centrelink benefits, at the time he was paying $120 a week rent, then by the time he bought food there was not too much money left over," Ms Hillard said.
Magistrate Joe Pinder told Edwards that if he was having trouble coping financially, there were agencies available to help.
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