A repeat offender has been sentenced to a month in prison after he was caught by a farmer stealing broccoli.

Vernon Symonds, 39, from White Hill, Sandys, told police he had intended to sell 9.53lbs of the vegetable — worth around $23.84 — to purchase heroin.

The court heard that at around 1.45pm on Tuesday, farmer Herron Clarke was working in a field in Hog Bay Park, Sandys, when he heard a motorcycle approach the area and stop.

He looked and saw a man in the field picking heads of broccoli and placing them in a bag. The farmer took several pictures of the suspect and contacted police but the man had left the area before the police arrived.

Later that afternoon, Symonds was stopped by police in connection to an unrelated matter and officers noticed he was carrying a large bag of broccoli and matched the description of the suspect.

When arrested, Symonds said: “It’s about time. Maybe I can get some help this time.”

Appearing in Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Symonds pleaded guilty to a single count of theft, saying he was glad he had been caught because it meant he could get help dealing with his heroin addiction.

However regarding the offence, he said: “I didn’t steal it. I took it. Stealing and taking, the two are different. I didn’t kill anybody or shoot anyone, I just got a couple heads of broccoli.”

He also told the court the owner of the field knew he was taking the produce as he had previously spoken with him and promised not to do it again.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner responded: “You are so arrogant and stupid it’s amazing. You promised not to go back and take stuff. If this guy is your friend, what are you doing here today?”

Mr Warner said that even in difficult economic times there’s no excuse for stealing crops from struggling farmers, who have frequently complained about the frequency of such thefts.

“You’re case is particularly annoying because you stole them to sell them, not to get attention to your heroin problem,” he added. “Under the circumstances, I’m going to send you to jail immediately.”

He sentenced Symonds to 30 days in prison, to be followed by two years of probation, and that he be assessed for any appropriate drug treatment programmes.