A THIEF who attacked a man and failed to turn up to court will be sentenced next month.

Christopher Arrowsmith entered guilty pleas to one count of assault by beating, one count of failing to surrender to police or court bail, and eight counts of theft from a shop when he appeared before magistrates in January.

The court heard from prosecutor Valerie Hart that Arrowsmith had assaulted a man in Leominster, Herefordshire, on October 10, and failed without reasonable cause to surrender to custody at Telford Magistrates Court on December 19, having been released on bail in criminal proceedings in Shrewsbury on November 17.

The 38-year-old had also committed a series of thefts from Ludlow's One Stop and Leominster's Savers shops between August 13 and October 10, making off with goods including washing-up softener and shampoo worth £60, bottles of laundry softener worth £30, cleaning products worth £66.50, wine worth £5.99, washing pods and wine worth £32.50, and wine worth £8.

Magistrates in Kidderminster adjourned the case for a pre-sentencing report to be carried out by the probation service and Arrowsmith, of Milton Road, Ludlow, was released on unconditional bail.

He will appear before magistrates in Kidderminster for sentencing on February 9.