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A man who lives in a tent has been handed a suspended prison sentence after a court heard he deliberately stole a pair of Asda jeans to get arrested.

Derby Crown Court was told Clive Rigby, of Long Eaton, was handed a suspended prison term for waving a toy gun around in public.

But just seven days later he entered the superstore in Midland Street, Long Eaton, picked up the £12 trousers, folded them up, placed them under his arm and tried to walk out only to be stopped by security guards.

The 53-year-old, of no fixed address, fully admitted to them he was carrying out the theft in order to be arrested, reports the Derby Telegraph.

But when they told him they would simply ban his from the supermarket instead he became angry and shouted “if you don’t call the police I will smash the store up”.

Now Rigby has been handed an additional six months on to his already existing suspended term after pleading guilty to theft and for breaching his order.

Judge Robert Egbuna told him: “You just do not comply with orders.

“You are given every opportunity and you breach, breach, breach, breach.

“In this instance it was just seven days after you had been handed a suspended jail term.

“But the reality of the situation is that for stealing a £12 pair of jeans you would not be sent to prison immediately.

“I’m not sending you to prison this time but this is your last chance.

“If you come back before the court again they might not be so lenient.”

Abigail Joyce, prosecuting, said on November 24, at Nottingham Crown Court, Rigby was handed an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, after he pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

That incident, in Cleveland Avenue, Long Eaton on February 8 saw police called by two members of the public to reports that a man was waving a gun in the street.

Police attended and found Rigby to be in possession of a black plastic toy gun and arrested him.

Miss Joyce said: “On November 23, the defendant walked into Asda and carried out a blatant shop theft.

“He picked up the jeans, folded them, tucked them under his arm and walked out only to be stopped by the security guards.

“He said he did it because wanted to be arrested but when they said they would just ban him from the store instead there was a change in his behaviour and he became more aggressive with the staff and the police were called.”

Miss Joyce said Rigby had “an extensive criminal record” which included a number of breaches of previous court orders.

Mark Watson, for Rigby, said: “He advances no excuses and he has a long-standing drugs problem.

“He is homeless and is currently living in a tent in Long Eaton and fully admits he carried out the theft offence in order to get himself arrested.”