Thief wrong-footed by shoe haul

The shoes were in holdals belonging to a salesman

A thief who stole £3,000 worth of shoes discovered none of them actually made a pair.

Raymond Green, 18, took eight holdalls of shoes, boots and trainers from a sales rep's car in February this year.

But the haul only contained single left and single right items of footwear.

The other half of the pairs had been given to another salesman.

Green, of Morriston, Swansea, was today given 18 months' probation by the city's magistrates after admitting stealing the shoes and pleading guilty to other offences.

Prosecutor Christopher Davies told the court Green stole the shoes, worth £2,971.90, from an L registration Ford Mondeo.

They belonged to a company called Foot Sure Western.

Car theft

Mr Davies said the unemployed defendant admitted the offence to police after being caught trying to take a car without the owner's permission on the same day.

Anthony John, defending, said Green had taken the shoes from outside the sales rep's home with a group of others.

"The other people took the holdalls away. He never saw them again," Mr John told the court.

Green also admitted stealing and handling beer, spirits, wine and sweets from Great Western Trains buffet carriages.

In addition, he pleaded guilty to taking without authority the Ford Fiesta, which led to his arrest for stealing the shoes.