6:10am Saturday 13th March 2010
A ONE-ARMED bandit who stole a single cufflink has been given a community sentence.
Meroslva Balog, 28, walked into C J Vinten jewellers, in London Road, Leigh, pretending to look for a present for his mother.
He then knocked over a display before snatching a solitary £130 gold cufflink, shaped like a boxing glove. The thief was caught after police issued a CCTV image of him, which appeared in the Echo.
He appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday, where he admitted the crime and also to stealing a watch from Debenhams, in the town centre, on January 18.
Balog, of Retort Close, Southend, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and was ordered to complete a 12-month community sentence and 120 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £130 compensation to the jeweller and court costs of £105.
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