A MAN who went on a week-long crime spree in Aberystwyth - before being caught outside Wetherspoons with an imitation pistol - has been jailed.

Patrick Johnson, of 32 Spout Way, Telford, went on a week-long spree in Aberystwyth, which included stealing a charity collection box from Tesco and the burglary of the same guest house twice.

He admitted these charges along with stealing a jacket worth £160 from the Mountain Warehouse store on the Rheidol Retail Park on 24 October and two counts of burglary at Maes y Môr Guest House on Bath Street over two days.

On 22 October Johnson stole bottles and a safe, while the following day he stole cans, a bluetooth speaker and room keys.

Johnson also admitted ‘going equipped for theft’ after being found with pliers, tin foil and gloves to use for ‘the shoplifting of goods from retail outlets’.

He also admitted being in possession of an imitation flint lock pistol in Aberystwyth’s Wetherspoon pub on 27 October.

At the time of the spree the 28-year-old was subject to a community order for burgling a pub where he had again taken a charity box.

His barrister said the former carpenter understood that stealing collection boxes was “particularly unsavoury” and said the defendant was now seeking help for his drinking.

The court heard the defendant was wearing the jacket he had stolen earlier in the week when police officers found him and when they searched him they found he had modified the coat by cutting a section of the lining to create a “hidden” pocket in which they found a T-shirt that still had its security tags attached, a set of gloves, and a pair of pliers. When Johnson’s holdall was searched police found a screwdriver and a handgun described as an “old-style flintlock pistol”. The defendant subsequently answered “no comment” to all questions asked in interview

For the Aberystwyth offences Johnson was sentenced to a total of 10 months in prison comprising 10 months for the burglaries, two months for the thefts, two months for going equipped, and seven days for possession of the imitation firearm all the run concurrently.

Judge Paul Thomas KC revoked the Telford burglary community order and resentenced Johnson to six months in prison for that matter, and he revoked the conditional discharge for the Co-op thefts and re-sentenced Johnson to seven days for that matter.

The Telford sentences will be served consecutively with the Aberystwyth sentences making an overall sentence of 16 months in prison.