A GORNAL man has been jailed after admitting stealing hundreds of pounds worth of candles and thousands of pounds of perfume from Merry Hill at Dudley Magistrates' Court.

Andrew Jones, aged 38, of Dudley Road, Upper Gornal, pleaded guilty to stealing 20 Yankee Candles worth £479.80 and £2922.10 worth of perfume from Boots in Merry Hill. He was jailed for 24 weeks due to a 'flagrant disregard' for court orders. He was also ordered to pay £970.00 in compensation, a £140.00 surcharge and £350 costs.

The following cases were also heard at Dudley Magistrates' court last week.

Craig Booth, aged 42, of Kirby Drive, Lower Gornal, admitted wilfully misbehaving in Dudley Magistrates' Court by using offensive language towards the Justices. He was fined £200.

Aiden Price, aged 18, of Banklands Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to possessing a machete in a public place without good reason or lawful authority. He also admitted driving without a licence or insurance. He received a 16 week jail sentence suspended for 12 months and was ordered to attend a rehabilitation programme. He was also ordered to pay a £122 surcharge and £185 in costs.

Sean Pemberton, aged 34, of Badsey Road, Oldbury, pleaded guilty to possessing herbal cannabis and also admitted possessing a quantity of amphetamine. He received a 12 month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay a £21 surcharge and £185 costs.

Anthony Pugh, aged 53, of Gibbs Road, Lye, pleaded guilty to causing £500 worth of unlawful damage to furnishings belonging to Midland Heart. He received a community order and was ordered to pay £500 compensation, a £90 surcharge and £135 costs.

Karen Collins, aged 57, of Russells Hall Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions about a change of circumstances. She received a community order and must carry out 80 hours of unpaid work within the next twelve months. She was also ordered to pay an £38 surcharge and £185 costs.

Natalie Williams, aged 36, of Upton Street, Netherton, pleaded guilty to stealing £26.19 worth of items from Morrisons and admitted to failing to surrender to custody. She received a community order and was fined £100 and ordered to pay a £90 surcharge, along with £135 in costs.