A drunken shoplifter has been jailed after he tried to lie his way out of trouble by giving his brother's name and address to police.
Adam Scott went thieving just 12 days after receiving a suspended sentence and lashed out at a shop assistant who tried to stop him leaving a supermarket with a case of cider.
Police bailed him again but with three weeks he was out stealing again in Newton Abbot where he was caught taking a designer shirt from a sports shop, Exeter Crown Court was told.
He gave his brother's name and address and persisted with the lie until police told him they were going to verify his identity through DNA tests and fingerprints, at which point he became violent.
Scott is only 21 but has a serious drink problem and already has 55 previous offences and was subject to two different suspended sentences.
These were for harassing his ex partner and shouting foul mouthed drunken abuse at a newly qualified doctor who he stumbled upon as he was unloading his car after arriving in Exeter for the first time.
He was supposed to be undergoing an alcohol education programme as part of his suspended sentences but instead he raided the same shop to steal cider three times in two days.
Scott, of no fixed abode, admitted five thefts, assault by beating, attempting to pervert the course of justice and breaching two suspended sentences.
He was jailed for a total of 15 months by Judge Phillip Wassall who told him his pattern of behaviour was alarming and he could expect longer sentences in the future unless he curbed his drunken thieving and violence.
He told him:"You tried to get away with this by giving the false name of your brother. If I totted up all these offences you would be looking at going to prison for the thick end of three years but I have to look at totality.
"When you commit offences such as this with a bad record of offending in such a prolific way you will find the sentences getting longer and longer unless you get a grip."
David Bowen, prosecuting, said Scott's first shoplifting arrest was at Lidl in Exeter where he assaulted a security guard who tried to stop him fleeing with alcohol.
He went on to raid the Spar shop in Magdalen Road four times in two days, pushing away a shop assistant who tried to stop him on one occasion. Each time he stole cider.
He was next arrested at Sports Direct in Newton Abbot where he was seen removing the security label from a shirt. He gave the name and date of birth of his brother and persisted with the lie when he was interviewed back at the police station.
Mr Bowen said:"When police told him they were going to check his DNA and fingerprints he became angry and had to be restrained."
Piers Norsworthy, defending, said all the offences were low level crimes and were committed when he had nowhere to live and was staying with other people who also had drink problems.
He said:"When he gave his brother's name he did not realise he was committing such a serious offence. He acknowledges it could have got his brother a criminal record but did not appreciate that he was attempting to pervert the course of justice."
