TONY Devlin s handling of stolen copper piping was done in a very public way – CCTV cameras spotted him wheeling the 15-foot lengths of piping through the centre of Wisbech on a shopping trolley. And when a District Judge inquired this week if Devlin woul

TONY Devlin's handling of stolen copper piping was done in a very public way - CCTV cameras spotted him wheeling the 15-foot lengths of piping through the centre of Wisbech on a shopping trolley.

And when a District Judge inquired this week if Devlin would be facing a charge in regard to the trolley, Devlin assured him that he had put £1 in the slot before removing it from Somerfield!

Devlin, 25, of Southwell Road, Wisbech, admitted receiving £150 worth of stolen copper pipes, the property of Waldo Bostwick, on June 29.

Prosecutor Scheherazade Haque told how CCTV operators saw Devlin pushing the trolley containing two long boxes along Lynn Road; the boxes appeared to have come from a construction site.

"He told police he bought the pipes for £30, he knew they were stolen, but it was a good deal," she told District Judge Ken Sheraton.

Mitigating, solicitor John Clarke said Devlin needed money, because his latest prescription for Subutex had not been signed by a doctor, so he needed to buy the drug on the black market.

"Someone offered him the copper pipe," explained Mr Clarke. "It was a stupid offence, pushing a Somerfield trolley with 15-foot lengths of pipes through the centre of Wisbech."

Mr Clarke asked the Judge not to jail Devlin, because his drug rehabilitation programme was going well.

His partner is pregnant with twins: "It would put the family in turmoil if he went to prison," he added.

Devlin told the Judge he had suffered a brain injury when he fell off a roof, so was unemployed.

He was given a new 12-month community order with drug rehabilitation, and must pay £60 costs.