A man has been jailed for 18 weeks after he was convicted of theft and found in possession of stolen property.

Simon Speer, 35, of Langley Grove, Sandridge, was sentenced at Hatfield Remand Court yesterday (Tuesday).

Speer was found in possession of an iPod and sunglasses, believed to be stolen, while he was also stopped in a taxi and found with meat and electrical items, also believed to be stolen.

He was also convicted of stealing two bottles of spirits from a Co-op store in Harpenden on April 9.

Speer was handed a six week sentence for theft and handling. He was given a further 12 weeks for a previously suspended sentence, which was for three fraud offences, where he tried to use a stolen credit card, shoplifting, and handling stolen property on January 19.

He was also sentenced to a week imprisonment for breaching his licence and fined £247 in fines and costs, also to run concurrently.

St Albans Detective Inspector Alexandra Warwick said: “This is a significant sentence for handling and theft. The magistrate said that he had been doing this kind of crime for a long time and that she had no other option than to send him to prison. I hope this sends out a message to anyone intent on this kind of crime to know that they will end up in prison.”