A SERIAL Gwent thief is behind bars after taking a disabled man's jacket and wallet while he was in a changing room, a court heard.

Hairdresser James Purnell, 31, of Wool Pitch, Cwmbran, targeted John Clarke while he leaned forward to put his leg callipers on at Newport's Greenhouse Health Club.

Cwmbran Magistrates Court heard the "particularly nasty offence" came just before Christmas, on December 23.

It was less than three months after Purnell was handed a 12-week suspended sentence for 12 months after stealing a Fiat Punto.

And a few months after targeting the disabled man, Purnell was committing thefts again.

On June 21, he stole sweets and chocolate valued at £2 belonging to Iceland, Pontypool and he failed to surrender to bail on the same date.

On June 28 he took £3.60 worth of food items from Tesco and was caught for possessing amphetamine.

Purnell pleaded guilty to all charges at Cwembran Magistrates' Court, where he was handcuffed before district judge David Parsons, who told him: "That (the coat theft) was a particularly nasty offence against a disabled person where you exploited his vulnerability."

In his defence, the court heard Purnell was rehabilitating from drugs and made efforts to secure job interviews.

Purnell was handed a 25 week custodial sentence.

His suspended sentence of 12 weeks was reduced to ten, while there was 12 weeks for the coat theft, one week consecutive for each of the drug offence and the two smaller thefts and two weeks concurrent for the failing to surrender matter.