A THIEF has been jailed after he was caught stealing items from clothing stores in Ambleside.

Paul Rapka, formerly of William Street, Ulverston, worked in tandem alongside co-defendant Ian Tweedley to steal £780 worth of items, South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecutor Lee Dacre said the duo began their offending by travelling in a Ford Transit van from Barrow to the Blacks Outdoor Retailer in Ambleside on May 3 last year.

Mr Dacre said Rapka’s role was to distract staff members while Tweedley used an implement to de-tag a label from a Montaine gravity waterproof jacket costing £260.

The court heard the roles were reversed when Rapka nicked a pair of North Face shorts and a North Face hooded jumper costing £110 just a couple of hours later from the outdoor section of Hayes Garden World at 1:10 pm.

Mr Dacre said both defendants then jointly stole a Mountain Equipment Anvil Lhotse Jacket costing £399.99 from Gaynor Sports at 15:57 pm.

The court was told Rapka and Tweedley were arrested in their vehicle later that day after details of the two men were reported to police.

Rapka, of Hope Street in Lancaster, was also sentenced by magistrates after pleading guilty to driving whilst disqualified, driving without valid insurance and breaching a post sentence supervision order.

Mr Dacre said the 31-year-old admitted the offences when road traffic officers on patrol pulled him over in a Mercedes vehicle on Tower Street in Ulverston after following him from the A590.

The court heard Rapka had 15 previous convictions for 28 offences.

Karen Templeton, representing Rapka in court on August 7, urged magistrates to step back from imposing an immediate custodial sentence.

She said: “I would suggest the shoplifting offences is not a demonstration of sophisticated offending. It is just two people going into different stores and taking medium-valued goods.

“He tells me he was returning the vehicle to his ex-partner’s home in Ulverston after it had been in at a garage which was going to shut for a few days.

“The main problem for this man is he owes debts to people in Barrow. He does not want to move back to the area.

“He is a qualified scaffolder who has a strong work ethic and determination to do a good job. He is worried about the possibility of going to prison today.”

Magistrates deliberated for almost 30 minutes before ruling that had been left with no other option but to imprison the defendant due to their being ‘no real chance of rehabilitation’.

As a result, Rapka was jailed for 20 weeks.

He was ordered to pay £385 in compensation for the items stolen – half of the total value, as well as £300 in costs and a £154 surcharge.

Magistrates also banned Rapka from driving for 20 months.

Tweedley, 43, whose address was listed as North Lonsdale Terrace in Ulverston when he was sentenced last year, was told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay the other half of the items stolen.