JAKE Oates pleaded guilty to stealing a pack of beer, claiming a head injury had made him forget to pay, a court heard.

Oates, 23, was arrested after the manager of Co-op, Cashes Green Road, Stroud, saw him take a pack of beer and walk out of the shop without paying on Friday, November 14.

Andrew Walters, prosecuting at Stroud Magistrates' Court on Thursday, said: "When interviewed by police, Oates said he had been knocked over the head with a brick in Bank Gardens which made him forgetful."

Oates, of Delmont Grove, Stroud, who was not represented, said: "I have never done anything like this before – I don't know what was going through my head because I had the money to pay for it. Shoplifting is disgusting."

He received a 12 month conditional discharge for the theft and was ordered to pay £9.99 compensation to the Co-op. No costs were awarded.