A 57-year-old man who stole a bottle of banana rum in Bath last summer appeared in custody at the city’s magistrates’ court last week.
A postal requisition had been sent to Andrew Lees’s previous address in Stirtingale Road in Southdown in November but he had not received it as he now lives on a boat, the court heard.
After his failure to attend his hearing in December, a warrant without bail was issued. Lees was arrested on the morning of Wednesday 4th March and brought to court in the afternoon.
Representing himself, Lees admitted stealing the bottle of rum, which had a cask strength of 65%, from Prior Park Garden Centre on 17th June 2025.
He apologised to the court and spoke of the chronic addiction to alcohol of people living on the streets, adding: “I couldn’t see friends suffering.”
Lee described what he had stolen as being a “bottle of medicine”.
Magistrates fined him £40 and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £16 surcharge. He was also ordered to pay £31 compensation to the garden centre for the rum.
