A man who took part in a 'trolley-dash' theft at Tesco in Wells has been spared jail.

Nicholas Davis was part of a group that committed these thefts, brazenly loading trolleys with goods and bypassing checkout counters at Tesco stores in Wells and Cullompton, totalling £9,000 in stolen goods.

At Wells Tesco, the thefts amounted to £976 in stolen goods.

The theft involved the group brazenly pushing filled trolleys past checkout and loading them into waiting vehicles.

Davis, a resident of Somerset, as identified through CCTV footage, but the police are still seeking accomplices.

Davis, aged 46, from Weston Road, Brean, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft. Judge Stephen Climie awarded him a 16-month suspended sentence, ordered him to pay £1,000 in compensation, assigned him 60 hours of unpaid work, and mandated 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

After admitting his guilt to the thefts in January, Davis was offered the opportunity to remain free on the condition that he stayed out of trouble, maintained employment, and continued addressing his drug and alcohol issues.

Judge Climie, who had deferred the sentence six months ago, told Davis that he had held up his end of the deal, hence he would not be going to prison. Davis was encouraged to continue his work with the probation service to turn his life around.

In a subsequent court appearance, the judge was presented with positive updates from the probation service on Davis' progress. The judge also commended Davis' parents for their support in helping him overcome his drug addiction.

The court was told that Davis had upheld his part of the agreement and would not be imprisoned.