Bloke steals things to get caught on purpose as he 'can't afford not to be in jail'

dailystar.co.uk:

Thai man stole from a pharmacy and got caught on purpose because he didn’t have enough money to live outside of prison.On July 29, a 60-year-old identified by Thai police as Phichit, was caught nabbing three bars of soap worth around 39p by staff.The incident, which took place in the Chonburi province, south of Bangkok, was particularly unusual because not only did the staff let him off - but another shopper offered to pay for him.READ MORE: Londoners named biggest freebie-hunters amid cost-of-living crisis, study findsPhichit, however, insisted they called the police on him, Thai Rath reports.

The store is understood to have had very clear warnings that shoplifters risked being fined up to 30 times the value of any stolen goods.

When the pharmacy staff eventually called the police he was taken in for questioning.However, to the police, he explained how he would prefer to go to jail where there was the prospect of three hot meals and an opportunity for socialisation.He said his alternative was living on the streets with no work and a battle to find food.A video of the encounter shows officers in the store along with Phichit, wearing a green shirt, along with the three bars of soap he tried to pocket.

It is not known what action the police eventually took.To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.The cost-of-living crisis in the UK has been severe, but it isn’t just here where things have been hard.