A man has avoided prison after pleading guilty to 26 counts of fraud.

Anthony Christopher Dunworth, 41, pleaded guilty to taking items off the shelf of John Lewis in Southampton, and then trying to refund them onto a gift card at the till.

The 41-year-old was ordered to pay back £1,882.19 in compensation after totalling around £2,000 for the 26 different for the acts of fraud that all took place between July and August last year.

On one occasion, he tried to refund a baby monitor worth £149.00 twice in three days.

The products ranged from £149.95 jeans to £100 curtain finials.

After pleading guilty to the charges, he was given an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months. On top of the compensation payment, he was also made to pay £115 victim services surcharge and 120 hours community service.