A man who admitted stealing a taxi driver’s takings has been handed a suspended sentence.

Aaron Lee Barnett, aged 21, of Malew Street, in Castletown, also admitted stealing a bank card, a bottle of Lucozade from a Douglas Co-op and possessing cannabis.

He was sentenced to a total of eight weeks’ custody, suspended for two years.

Prosecutor James Robinson told the court how, on March 3 at 9.25pm, Barnett ordered a taxi to collect him from the accident and emergency department at Noble’s Hospital. Barnett said he was normally given an account slip to cover the cost of his taxi but told the driver he did not have it. The driver went into the hospital to get Barnett’s slip, leaving his bag containing his cash in the taxi.

On the journey to Winerite, the driver stopped along the way to use a toilet. As he was getting out of the car Barnett said to him: ’Take your money bag with you. I don’t want to be seen as someone who robs. I’m not that type of person.’

The driver dropped off Barnett but when he took his next job he noticed £50 was missing from his bag. Barnett was interviewed by police and denied the theft.

In a separate incident, on October 23 at 2.15pm, Barnett was spotted on CCTV footage leaving the Co-op inProspect Terrace, Douglas, with a bottle of Lucozade without paying. He was asked to attend police headquarters in relation to this and returned to the Co-op to pay for the drink before he went.

As he arrived at police headquarters he was seen putting a bag behind a salt bin outside. The bag was searched and found to contain cannabis and a bank card which was not in his name.

He told police he used the drug to help him sleep and had picked up the bank card at a party. It had been used to pay £20.80 for a taxi.

Advocate Roger Kane described his client as a ’troubled young man’ who was extremely vulnerable.

Mr Kane said Barnett had been treated for mental health issues and said: ’He can present as a very quiet and polite young man when he wants to.

’He was under the impression the hospital would pay for his taxi. He found a debit card and paid for the taxi with it. A more sophisticated criminal might have went out and splashed the cash but he didn’t.’ Barnett was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the taxi driver and £20.80 to the bank card holder.