A CHOCOLATE thief has been banned from a Southampton supermarket after raiding it ten times.

Matthew Allan Wedgner stole chocolate worth around £330 from the Co-op store in Shirley Road.

He targeted the retailer ten times between January and March this year.

The 44-year-old of Southampton Street in Southampton also stole ham, fish, coffee and energy drinks.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court he was charged with ten counts of theft - to which he indicated guilty pleas.

And a single count of assault by beating to which he pleaded guilty.

Wedgner has been given a 12-month community order to include six months of drug treatment and 15 rehabilitation activity days.

He has been banned from the Co-op store in Shirley Road for a year.

Wedgner must also pay a £95 victim surcharge and £25 compensation.