A PRAYER to god and a wish to change the colour of a County Durham river landed a man in court.

Simon Hall told police stolen tools found in his possession came to him as a result of an answered prayer - while claiming the reason he tried to steal printer ink was part of a plan to change the colour of the River Skerne.

Magistrates in Newton Aycliffe today (July 27) heard how the 43-year-old was spotted in Sainsbury’s, in Darlington, using a blade to remove ink cartridges worth £28.50 from packaging.

Paul Anderson, prosecuting, told the court store security watched the father-of-three place them into a pencil case and Easter egg before returning the items to a shelf.

The defendant was located in a park where he was arrested and told officers his “intention was to change the colour of the River Skerne”.

Hall, of Darlington, was found with a black holdall containing tools that had previously been snatched in a burglary at Nordic Training Centre in the town.

His Witbank Road home was searched where a cannabis farm, complete with a heating and lighting that bypassed the electricity system, was discovered alongside other stolen items.

In an interview Hall said he found the tools near North Road Railway Station in what was “an act of god”, adding he had been “down on his luck and prayed to god and god answered his prayer”.

Hall said a stolen child’s pushchair worth £100 was left at a car boot sale and a CCTV system in his possession was given to him to fix.

He claimed he struggled financially and said the cannabis was for his own use.

Appearing from custody, Hall was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year, having admitted to shop theft, receiving stolen goods, producing cannabis and abstracting electricity without authority. Two counts of receiving stolen goods were earlier proved in his absence.

For the offences, dating between February 1 and March 19, he was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, attend ten rehabilitation activity days and pay an £80 victim surcharge.