Remand for thief who had 'Aladdin's cave' of stolen items

An unemployed father who went on a prolific shoplifting spree before selling his spoils on Facebook has been remanded at the Isle of Man Prison. 

34-year-old Mark Hughes was hauled before Douglas Courthouse on Friday - he'd been repatriated to the Island from Stoke on Trent after skipping his bail. 

Between October 1st and December 5th last year the Douglas man stole toys, clothing and household goods worth £3,600 from shops including JAC Stores, Peacocks, Tesco, Mantons and TK Maxx. 

Included in this haul were almost 50 toys from NeverNever Land at Tynwald Mills valued at over £2,000 - police were called to investigate after staff noticed missing items has appeared online. 

CCTV identified Hughes 'blatantly' making off with the goods - police who went to his flat to arrest him described it as an "Aladdin's cave" with items stored in "every conceivable place". 

Appearing before the Deputy High Bailiff he pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft - the court was told he'd list the items at a knockdown price to attract buyers in the run up to Christmas. 

There was no application for bail and Hughes was remanded at the Isle of Man Prison until his next court appearance on July 19th.