A THIEF claimed he was rushing to get to hospital to visit his partner's grandmother when he made off without paying for petrol.

Damien John Llewellyn Kidley, 26, also pleaded guilty to driving without a correct licence and insurance when he made the journey from Bromyard to Hereford on June 23.

At Hereford Magistrates Court, Nicola Ritchie, prosecuting, said staff at Newton Cross garage on the A4103 Hereford to Worcester road had noticed fuel worth £60.02 had been taken but nobody had paid.

The court heard Kidley had recently bought the Ford Focus for £200 and drove the car from Bromyard to Hereford hospital with his partner to visit her grandmother who was in a coma.

Kidley, of St Peter's Gardens, Bromyard, was given six points on his driving record and a community order. He was also ordered to pay a £50 fine, £60.02 compensation and £85 victim surcharge.