A thief could miss his sister’s wedding because he stole champagne from a city centre store twice in the same afternoon.

Douglas Shaun MacRae, 27, had hoped to escort his sister down the aisle in August. But after his arrest at Marks & Spencer’s Parliament Street store, magistrates jailed him for 20 weeks. They heard he had repeatedly broken the law by stealing champagne and other items while on a deferred sentence for previous shoplifting.

MacRae, of Ostman Road, Acomb, pleaded guilty to six charges of theft and asked for five more to be taken into consideration.

Cathy Turnbull, prosecuting, said magistrates deferred sentence on MacRae in March for stealing two bottles of Stella Artois worth £4.70 from the Co-op store in East Parade and a drill worth £199.98 from B&Q in Osbaldwick Lane on March 7. Among the conditions they set was that he should not reoffend.

But on May 5, he stole three £30 bottles of champagne from Marks & Spencer at 1.20pm and got away.

Staff spotted him when he returned at 4.20pm and detained him as he tried to walk out with two more £30 bottles of champagne. He also stole champagne and razors worth together £88.92 from the Co-op store in Church Street, Copmanthorpe, in April and two jars of coffee from the Co-op’s Hull Road store in March.

For MacRae, Caroline Aaron said: “His sister, who has been a great support, is getting married in August. It is this man’s aim to be able to walk her down the aisle. They are very, very close and spent time in care together.”

MacRae had stolen the champagne to raise funds for his long-standing heroin addiction.

He was trying to overcome it and since being remanded in prison after his last arrest, had taken drug rehabilitation courses. He had also been getting support out of prison and was now strongly motivated to kick his habit.