A CONVICTED thief who stole more than 50 gold rings from a jewellery shop has been locked up for seven months.

Scott Kennedy, 21, walked into Stuarts Jewellers in Rayleigh High Street, in February, and grabbed a tray of rings worth £4,000 from behind the counter.

Three months later Kennedy walked into the shop’s Southend branch called the Pawn Broker in Alexandra Street, and asked to look at gold necklaces.

But the shop worker had seen the CCTV footage of him stealing from the Rayleigh shop and recognised him.

Kennedy, of Hannett Road, Canvey, ran off, but the worker followed him into the nearby Royals shopping centre and alerted police.

He was due to stand trial for the offence, but at Basildon Crown Court yesterday he admitted the thefts.

Jailing him, Judge Christopher Mitchell said: “When you took the rings you probably did not realise what the retail value was and when you no doubt disposed of them you only got a fraction of that sum.

“In your favour is your guilty plea, but because of this particular offence immediate custody is the appropriate sentence.”

Grant Benjamin, defending Kennedy, said at the time of the offence Kennedy had run up a £300 cannabis debt and stole the rings to pay off the money he owed.