A man went on a shoplifting spree at an upmarket cosmetics store in Liverpool.
Christopher Crotty, 32, appeared for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to stealing make-up products totalling more than £1,500 from the Morphe store in the city centre.
Martyn Walsh, prosecuting, said Crotty undertook shoplifting missions on three separate occasions at the Liverpool ONE cosmetics store - the first time taking £376 of make-up, on the second £414, and on the third £745.
Mr Walsh said: "On each occasion he entered the store along with an unidentified female and put the products in an empty gift bag."
It is believed the stolen goods included make-up palettes.
Tony Rose, defending, said his client suffered from mental health problems.
Crotty managed to avoid prison for the offences, despite being in breach of an earlier suspended sentence for having a blade or pointed article in a public place, and not complying with the terms of that sentence by failing to attend courses to address his offending behaviour.
Judge Gary Woodhall sentenced Crotty to four months' imprisonment for the offences, suspended for 12 months.
He also placed a three-month curfew on Crotty, of Kremlin Drive, Old Swan , from 8pm to 6am.
He told him: "If you don't carry on engaging with this order, you will be back before me and you will go to prison."
Crotty left the court with a woman believed to be his girlfriend.
As he exited the building, he hid his face behind a plastic bag containing the belongings he surrendered while in custody, and gave the finger to the ECHO reporter.
This was not the first time Crotty had been caught thieving from a Liverpool ONE store .
In February 2018, he was also spared jail after breaking into the John Lewis department store in Liverpool city centre . He cut himself in the process, leaving behind blood which was matched to him on the police database.
On that occasion he stole Mac Book computers, valued at £7,545.
