A man has been jailed for 18 weeks after stealing 20 jars of honey.

James Michael Rodger, 25, from Purley, was initially spotted by an off-duty sergeant in civilian clothes on March 8.

He was seen to retrieve a heavy looking carrier bag from bushes in Nonsuch Park.

Rodger put the bag in the boot of his car and drove off.

The control room at Sutton Police Station was informed and the defendant was stopped and officers found two large bags in the vehicle.

One contained 20 jars of Manuka Honey; the other contained various cosmetic products including No7 night cream and herbal tablets.

The value of the goods was estimated at £1,000.

Research found that the bar codes on the honey originated from a number of Holland & Barrett stores in London and Surrey.

Rodger also bragged to police that they would never find where he stole them from.

Sadly for Rodger he underestimated the investigational skills of PC Gavin Staplehurst who traced the jars within two weeks.

On April 8, Croydon magistrates sentenced unemployed Rodger to 18 weeks in prison after he had been found guilty of two counts of theft and two counts of handling stolen goods.