A THIEF who stole gifts for a charity raffle in aid of a mum who died of cancer handed himself in after seeing a CCTV appeal in the Dorset Echo, a court heard.

He was caught on camera stealing prizes from a Christmas charity raffle at Goulds Garden Centre but later returned the items to the police after he saw CCTV images in the media.

Brodie Few, 26, of Pilgrims Way in Poole, pleaded guilty to theft from a shop when he appeared before Weymouth Magistrates Court.

The court heard that on December 10, 2014, Few entered Goulds Garden Centre on Littlemoor Road between 2pm and 2.20pm and stole a large teddy bear and a slow cooker.

These were prizes in a Christmas charity raffle that the store had set up in memory of colleague Lyn Weaver, who lost her battle with breast cancer last October.

In mitigation Ian Brazier told the court that Few suffers with epilepsy and has a frontal lobe brain tumour, which effects things such as his speech and memory.

He said: “He hadn’t registered that the items were for a charity raffle.

“When he saw the CCTV images in the media that is what we felt the worst about.”

After realising that he was the person on the CCTV images, Few handed himself into Dorset Police on December 23, 2014 and returned the items he had stolen, the court heard.

Mr Brazier said: “He saw himself in the CCTV on the internet and registered that he was the person being sought.

“He had come home and knew that the items had been stolen but he couldn’t remember where he stole them from.” District Judge Nicholls took into account Few’s early guilty plea and the fact he had returned the items to the police.

Few was handed a community order, costs and fines of £145 and a five-week curfew restricting him from leaving his home between the hours of 7pm and 7am.