A man who stole a wallet containing £50 on a bus was sentenced last week, a year and a half after the offence was committed.

Ivan Edwards, of Osbourne Grove, in Douglas, was given a 12-month conditional discharge when he appeared before magistrates last week.

He must also pay £50 compensation to the victim.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that he had not been advised why there had been such a delay.

He told the court that Edwards, aged 52, was on a bus at Lord Street at 6.20am on July 6 in 2018 heading to the airport.

A wallet was left on a seat and when Edwards got on he put his bag on top of it.

The owner of the wallet was said to have got back on the bus and looked around but did not find it.

CCTV footage later showed Edwards pick up the wallet as he got off the bus at the airport.

A media release was put out in April 2019 and Edwards was identified .

He was then interviewed by police in December 2019.

He told officers that he had not seen the wallet when he put his bag down.

He said he could remember the owner looking around the seat but did not remember him asking about it.

Edwards said that it was only when he neared the airport that he noticed the wallet and put it in his pocket as he went to get off the bus.

He claimed that there was only £30 in it and said that he took the cash then put the wallet in a bin in the toilet.

Opportunistic

Edwards told police that he knew it was wrong and that he should have handed it over to the bus driver.

Defence advocate David Reynolds said his client had no previous convictions and had lost his good character as a result of the theft.

’He was struggling at the time with his mental health,’ said the advocate. It was an opportunistic offence. It clearly has come back to haunt him some significant time later.’

Mr Reynolds asked magistrates to consider the low value of the theft and the fact that it was Edwards’ first offence.

He added: ’He has brought embarrassment on his family as his name will be in the newspaper.’

Magistrates also ordered Edwards to pay £50 costs which he will pay at a rate of £10 per week.