A POLICE community support officer must pay almost £400 after he stole a chicken curry from a supermarket near the police station where he worked.

Andrew Clark, 25, was wearing his PCSO uniform when he swiped a chicken Madras curry, two bottles of milk and a sandwich from a self-service checkout in Sainsbury’s in Kidlington.

Coventry Magistrates’ Court heard that the officer, of Holly Close, in Bicester, has since lost his job and been shunned by his family – after he was caught by security guards who demanded to see a receipt.

Baldeb Atwal, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was in uniform as a PCSO and was captured on CCTV putting items into a shopping basket on October 3.

“He went to a self-service checkout where he paid for some items and not for others.

“When he was caught, he could not provide a receipt for the items and staff alerted police.”

Defending, James Bruce told the court: “He went into the Sainsbury’s supermarket near the station.

“He collected a number of items in the basket and went over to the self-service checkout, where he paid for three of those items, totalling £3, but he tried to conceal the remaining products, totalling £10.17.

“He has history of good character, but he has lost everything that he held dear in a short time.

“The worst aggravating factor is he carried out the offence in his uniform. The future once held promise for him but inevitably he has lost his job and he admits it was foolish and outrageous.

“This is a wake-up call for a young man and he has thrown everything into the wind.

“He is a father to a 16-month-old child and has a second due in April.”

And the lawyer said the highlighting of the case earlier this month in the Oxford Mail had brought him deep embarrassment.

“The publicity in his local paper has deeply embarrassed him and his family don’t want anything to do with him,” he said.

Clark was fined £265, ordered to pay costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £26 and compensation of £10.17.

Clark spoke only to confirm his name and enter a guilty plea to a charge of theft from a shop.

A Thames Valley police spokeswoman said: “Thames Valley Police expects the highest levels of both professional and personal conduct from its officers and staff and Mr Clark’s behaviour fell well short of our expectations.”

The case comes months after a PCSO from Watlington was arrested by his own colleagues for drink-driving when he called in back-up after pulling over another motorist.

PCSO Andrew Seston had drunk two small bottles of red wine the day before he was breathalysed, but was still nearly twice the legal drink-drive limit, magistrates were told.

When the 44-year-old, who had worked for Thames Valley Police for eight years, stopped a motorist, the man became “aggressive and abusive”.

Seston, of Cuxham Road, Watlington, called for support from uniformed officers.

But when officers arrived, it was Seston who was arrested after officers suspected he had been drinking.

The PCSO, who resigned, was banned from the road after admitting a single count of driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

Rod Matheson, Thames Valley Police Unison branch secretary, yesterday said Clark had not been dismissed from his job.

He said: “He will however, be going through our own internal disciplinary policy shortly, and it is at that stage a decision will be made as to whether he is dismissed or not.”