Man 'driven to drugs' after girlfriend forgot gravy

A reformed drug addict turned to crack cocaine because his girlfriend didn't make any gravy for their Sunday roast dinner.

Paul Dibble, 30 of Galway Road, Knowle, then went on to steal 44 chocolate bars to sell for drugs, Bristol Magistrates' Court heard yesterday.

The thief pleaded guilty to stealing confectionery worth £52.60 from Tesco on May 4.

Magistrates gave him a conditional discharge and ordered he pay £60 in prosecution costs.

May Li, prosecuting, said: "At 9.30am, the store manager at the Tesco Express in Clare Street saw the defendant select a large bar of chocolate, conceal it in a bag and walk towards the exit.

"He was detained and 44 bars of chocolate were concealed in his coat.

"He admitted the theft, and said he was going to sell it for £20 to buy drugs.

"He had been clean for a year but had had an argument with his partner three weeks previously and relapsed.

"He tested positive for cocaine."

Dibble had 30 previous convictions for similar offences between 1997 and 2007, the court heard.

Sam Stevens, defending, said: "He has been out of trouble for quite a while by his standards.

"He has been using heroin for 15 years, since he was 15-years-old.

"He received a prison sentence towards the end of 2007 but two days after his release he was remanded in custody for an offence he hadn't committed. It took five months in custody to find out he was innocent.

"When he came out he was clean from heroin and has been clean ever since.

"His girlfriend was a cooking a Sunday roast and she committed the cardinal sin of not putting any gravy on it. That prompted an argument and she asked him to leave.

"A friend of his had a problem with crack cocaine, and he took it while feeling at a low ebb.

"The good news is he's back on track. He's clean and is back with his girlfriend."