It's just too much hard work!

Every now and then a case comes along which convinces me, if I needed it, that the life of an offender is just too complicated and demanding to attract me. To take a recent case; a gentleman appeared in front of us pleading guilty to the theft of disposable nappies to the value of £22, the property of a well-known supermarket. In mitigation it was said on his behalf that he was merely seeking to fulfil his duties as a responsible parent.
As is so often the case, he was an absent father, he and his then partner having separated shortly before the birth of his daughter. He had been enjoying short periods of contact which had now moved to the stage where he could have staying contact across the weekend. However, because of his daughter's tender age, he needed to stock up on nappies. Only problem, his JSA didn't stretch to that kind of purchase. So he took a pack and walked out of the store with it, very shortly to be stopped by the security staff.
All well and good. But he also had two TICs, offences he wanted to offer up and have taken into consideration when being sentenced for the current theft. These offences were a) an identical offence three weeks previously and b) an offence, also three weeks previously, of obtaining from the well-known supermarket the sum of £22 by deception. Very suspicious. Also, it cast doubt on his account of the reason for the latest theft.
But there was a perfectly logical explanation. Three weeks previously his daughter had come to stay for the first time. Faced with the lack of cash problem he had gone and helped himself to a pack of nappies - undetected on that occasion - only to be told scornfully by his ex-partner that they were no use. They were for a newborn baby. His daughter needed a larger size. As he wearily explained to us, he couldn't face the stress of stealing two packs on the same day, so he took his pack back to customer services, got a refund and BOUGHT the correct size with the refund.
Like I say, I'm not cut out for all that effort.