Man accused of stealing tip jar from Derry restaurant and vodka from Sainsburys before court

Lawrence Mubango (27) with an address at Cromore Court in Coleraine appeared charged with theft following an alleged incident at Burn restaurant on July 25.

He was also charged with the theft of alcohol valued at £207 from Sainsburys on July 21.

The court heard that on July 25 a man entered Burn restaurant along the river front in the cityside and asked for a table. The court was told that staff at the restaurant went to check availability, but when they returned the man said he didn't want one after all and left.

It was then noticed that the tip jar containing between £300 to £400 was missing.

Mubango was allegedly identified by CCTV and operators were able to direct police to Patrick Street where they located the defendant who denied it was him on the CCTV and said it was a case of mistaken identity.

The court was also told that on July 21 a man entered Sainsburys and lifted eight bottles of vodka and two beer valued at £207 and left without paying.

A security guard followed the man out and when challenged he dropped the bag.

The incident was captured on CCTV but Mubango denied it was him on the footage.

A police officer said the defendant had 'a very relevant criminal record' with 17 previous convictions in this jurisdiction and 10 breaches of bail.

He added that the defendant had only recently been released from prison.

Defence counsel Joel Lindsay told the court that his bail application was 'an uphill struggle'.

He said the defendant was an asylum seeker and the problem was that if he went to prison it was difficult for him to secure a new address.

The barrister said that his client denied that it was him on the CCTV in both cases detailed to the court.

Bail was refused and Mubango was remanded in custody to appear again on August 13.