Two Italian visitors who stole clothing from a café have been fined by magistrates.

Roberto Bertini and Giuseppe Natale appeared in court on June 5, both pleading guilty to a charge of theft.

Magistrates fined Bertini £350 and Natale £450, with them both also being ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs each.

They both must pay the fines and costs forthwith or face days in prison in default.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that the two men went to Victory Café on the Mountain Road, on June 3, at around 12.25pm.

Natale was seen on CCTV footage taking an Albion Knitting Company hooded top from a hanger in a changing room, at the rear of the shop.

The item was said to be valued at £210.

He tried to hide it under his jacket, but a member of staff saw him leaving with it.

CCTV footage also showed Bertini taking a Milenco by Padgett’s hooded top, valued at £44.99.

A media press release went out regarding the theft and the duo were arrested as they got off a tram in Laxey.

When interviewed at police headquarters, 41-year-old Natale admitted the theft, saying he had been intoxicated at the time, and was cold.

He said he wanted to apologise and was ashamed of his actions, offering to pay for the top.

He claimed that he intended to wear the top, but then return it, or at least pay for it once he was sober.

Bertini, who is 58, was interviewed and said that the top he had taken wasn’t labelled or hung up, so he thought it had been left there by someone.

He said that he had also taken it because he was cold but wanted to apologise and offered to pay the café.

Mr Swain asked magistrates to consider an exclusion order banning the two men, who are from Montichiari in Brescia, from the island.

Natale was represented in court by advocate Peter Taylor, who said that his client had confessed at the police station and had intended to bring the item back, or to pay for it.

Mr Taylor said that Natale had been to the TT three times and wanted to return in the near future.

He said that it had been a minor theft, and that an exclusion order would be disproportionate.

Advocate Paul Rodgers, representing Bertini, said that his client had also been drunk when he committed the theft.

‘I’ll stop referring to films, but there was no great escape, they were stopped on a tram,’ said the advocate.

Mr Rodgers said that he had asked the police to issue a caution, and that both men had now been in custody since their arrest on June 3.

He went on to add that it had been a low-level theft, so an exclusion order would not be appropriate.

‘This is an aberration of judgement. He struggles to understand why he did it,’ said the advocate.

Magistrates opted not to issue an exclusion order.