A DRUG addict went back to his thieving ways because he could not get the medication to help him stay clean, a court has heard.

Andrew Rossiter, 28, of Langton Road, was already subject to a community order when he went into the Tesco Express store in Henleaze on April 26 and tried to steal "multiple bottles of wine".

Prosecuting, Annaphie Rogers, told Bristol magistrates he was recognised and confronted by the shop manager because he was already banned. Rossiter handed over a bag full of bottles, but also had some hidden in his jacket, and staff held him at the shop until the police arrived. When he was arrested, he tested positive for cocaine and opiates.

Rossiter admitted theft but his solicitor, Selina Hunt, explained that after his last theft conviction on April 21, for which he received a nine-months supervision order, he had tried to get a prescription for drug treatment medication Subutex but had not been able to get an appointment at the Bristol Specialist Drug Service (BSDS) until Monday afternoon.

Miss Hunt said: "He has been trying everything he can do to comply with his order and solve his drug addiction."

For his latest misdemeanour, Rossiter's supervision order was extended to a year.