A THIEF who vaulted over garden fences half-naked in a bid to avoid arrest has appeared in court - alongside his mother.

Joanne Nicola Ayre, 48, claimed to police she didn’t know where her 26-year-old son Joshua Richard Griffiths was when they visited the family’s home, said Jessica Lister, prosecuting.

She also claimed he wasn’t at the house in The Laurels, Barlby, York Magistrates' Court heard.

But shortly afterwards, police heard Griffiths had been seen leaping over fences in gardens away from the family’s home and after officers had left the house, Ayre had cycled off with a rucksack containing her son’s clothes, returning later with an empty rucksack.

Police had wanted to arrest Griffiths because he had been captured on CCTV stealing £200 worth of beauty products from Wilko’s store eight days earlier.

Griffiths pleaded guilty to theft committed on August 13. Ayre admitted obstructing police on August 22 and breaching a conditional discharge imposed for breaching a court curfew.

Griffiths was fined £120 and ordered to pay a £32 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs. He remains under probation service supervision as a recently released prisoner.

Ayres was fined £170 with a £32 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

“You didn’t do your son any favours by doing what you did,” district judge Adrian Lower told her.

“In a different light, this could be seen as an effort by both of you to avoid your son being arrested.”

For the couple, Graham Parkin said Griffiths had been on prison licence at the time and was potentially facing a recall to prison.

So he had not hung around when police arrived and had made his exit from the house “in a state of undress”, he said.

“He rang her later, saying he was going to surrender to the police and asked her to bring him some clothing so he could get dressed,” added Mr Parkin.

He had also relapsed into drug use and had started self-harming, the court heard.