A serial thief found himself in court yet again after he ran off with a till from a restaurant.
Mark Birnie went into Babucho, on Lower Dean Street at Newcastle Quayside, and left with the till which had around £555 in it.
A witness saw him getting away via a set of stairs, heading towards the Castle Keep, and the police were called.
The witness detained the offender until officers arrived on the scene.
Birnie, of Blake Walk, Gateshead, was charged with burglary and he pleaded guilty to the charge at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
During the hearing, it was revealed the 48-year-old had 89 previous convictions - 76 of those were for theft or similar offences.
Prosecutor Rehana Haque said the burglary at Babucho took place on the evening of March 27 when a staff member found the till missing.
The till was behind the counter and members of the public were not allowed to go there.
Soon after, a witness saw Birnie outside with his loot and rang the police.
Mrs Haque said: "The witness saw the male going up the stairs towards the Castle Keep. The witness followed the male and saw him putting notes from the till into his pockets.
"He decided to detain the male until officers arrived."
Birnie was arrested and taken to a police station. Around £255 in cash was found in his pockets as well as a receipt from Babucho.
The till, which was damaged beyond repair, had £300 left inside.
The court was told this theft breached a suspended sentence imposed on Birnie for a previous offence and he had recently spent several weeks in custody.
Peter Docherty, defending, said his client had drug and alcohol issues, and suffered from anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia and schizophrenic behaviour.
He added: "This was an opportunist offence. He has not forced entry."
Magistrates extended Birnie's suspended sentence by three months and imposed a one-month curfew, ordering him to stay indoors between 8pm and 8am.
He was also asked to pay £385 in court costs.
