A THIEF swiped a £50 note from the home of a man he owed money to, a court heard.

Shaun Roberts, 26, appeared at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court, where he admitted to taking the money to pay outstanding debts.

He was said to have owed money to the victim, Simon Danahay, and had gone to his house to pay him the money.

The court was told Roberts sat in the victim’s house while he went to the cash point with the defendant’s partner’s bank card to retrieve money he was owed.

But when Mr Danahay tried to take out the money he found only 75p in the account, the court was told.

And when he got home he found Roberts had swiped a £50 note from his bedroom and fled the house.

Prosecutor Amy Labram told magistrates it happened in the early hours of June 18 at 1.45am.

She said: “Mr Roberts has gone to the victim’s address to pay money back that he owed him.

“He has given his girlfriend’s bank card to the other man.

“The account had only 75p in it and he has gone back seeing no money to take.”

She said Roberts had owed £150 to the man.

The defendant’s solicitor, Michael Graham, said the theft was ‘opportunistic’ rather than planned and his client had a problem with substance misuse.

Roberts, of Coulton Street in Barrow, was fined £130 for the offence.

He was also told to pay back the £50 he took in compensation.

On top of that he was told to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £85 in court costs.