A SHOPLIFTER who had driven from London to west Wales was found with thousands of pounds worth of items which looked to have been stolen when he was stopped in a supermarket car park.

Police stopped Giorgi Khvedelidze in the car park of Lidl in Milford Haven on July 3. His car was searched, and inside were items worth around £5,000 which appeared to have been stolen, prosecutor Alycia Carpanini said.

The items came from Tesco, Asda and Boots stores and many still had security tags on them.

Officers also recovered a magnet, four pairs of scissors, a pocket knife, and a screwdriver.

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Ms Carpanini said that 47-year-old Khvedelidze had travelled from London to Pembrokeshire, via Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

“Whilst some of the stolen items were traced back to Cardigan Tesco, the police have not be able to identify were the other stolen items came from,” she said.

Police asked for the CCTV from Tesco in Cardigan, which showed Khvedelidze entering the store on July 3 at around 4.12pm and putting some items in his basket and others in a bag before going to the till and paying for only the items in the basket.

Following a stock check, Tesco reported razors blades, electric toothbrushes and nicotine products worth a total of £732 were missing.

In his interview, Khvedelidze denied that the items found in his car were used for thefts or shoplifting.

The court heard that the defendant was currently seeking asylum in the UK.

Khvedelidze, of Western Avenue in North Acton, pleaded guilty to shoplifting and going equipped for theft.

Mr Bowen, representing Khvedelidze, said that the defendant was “wholly realistic” about the position he was in.

“What’s clear is that his offending behaviour is related to the recent loss of his mother,” he said, adding that although this didn’t excuse the defendant’s behaviour, it offered an explanation for his state of mind at the time.

He said that Khvedelidze was of hitherto clean character, and had “expressed his willingness to obtain a working permit as soon as he is able to do so”.

“He’s eager to tackle his issues relating to substance misuse,” Mr Bowen said, adding that he had reduced his drug usage since coming to the UK.

The judge, Recorder Aidan Eardley, said Khvedelidze had been in custody for two months – the equivalent of a four-month sentence.

He sentenced Khvedelidze to a 12-month conditional discharge.