A Coventry man with a “penchant for reptiles” has appeared in court after he admitted stealing a snake from a city shop.
Click to enlargeCurtis Pattison, of Lower Holyhead Road, City Centre, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft after taking a carpet python from Coventry Aquatics in Daventry Road, Cheylesmore, earlier this month.
The 19-year-old was captured on CCTV in the store, reaching in a display cabinet, before taking the 18in long snake, putting it in a plastic bag and walking out of the shop with his loot.
The CCTV images appeared in the Telegraph and, as a result, Pattison was identified and arrested.
In mitigation for Pattison, Michael Jervis told the Coventry Magistrates’ Court this week that the teenager had a “penchant for reptiles” and his ideal job was to work in a zoo.
Magistrates also heard he was in the process of building a cage for the animal at the time of his arrest.
Pattison was made subject to a 12-month ‘thinking skills programme’ and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work.
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:28 am