A MAN who has become known as Swindon's 'Crying Boy' has been jailed for six months after he snatched cash from the hands of a shopper when his tearful plea failed.

Wayne Rose, 23, is notorious throughout the town for preying on people's emotions with his crocodile tears to fund his heroin habit.

But the beggar is behind bars after he was yet again caught turning on the water works as he peddled his sob story to get money to buy drugs.

Rose hunts out Swindon's good Samaritans with tales of woe about how he has been abandoned in the town and needs money to get home to Reading.

On other occasions he turns on the emotional blackmail saying he has been beaten up by his family or that relatives are ill and he needs to be by their side.

The heroin addict chokes on his words as he cries almost uncontrollably in his deceitful bid to raise cash to buy drugs.

After magistrates were persuaded to put him on a drug treatment and testing order in April this year, Rose told the Evening Advertiser his begging days were over, saying "I hope this will change my life. I want to put everything well behind me."

Earlier magistrates had been told how at the time of his offending he was feeding a drug habit but had shown determination to change his ways.

"That's impressed us and the probation service," said chairman of the bench Stephen Blanchard at the spring hearing.

But in the six months since it has all gone wrong for the con-artist, who not only failed on the 18-month drug treatment order but was caught cheating town folk out of money with his sob story and even just blatantly snatching it.

At the latest hearing Richard Thomas, prosecuting, said Rose "appeared to be upset and distressed" and approached a couple in a car park at Ocotal Way on the afternoon of August 17 and spun them his line about being stranded in Swindon.

He said that the woman had £22 in her hand for the shopping and was preparing to close the window when Rose leaned through and snatched the cash from her.

The thief then walked off and when she demanded her money back threw two pound coins to her before running off.

Then 10 days later he was spotted in the Granville Street car park begging from three motorists spinning the same yarn.

Magistrates were told that a couple of days before the first of the latest offences he had admitted breaching his treatment order and the matter was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared along with another assessment.

However Rose, who admitted theft and begging, failed to turn up for either report to be prepared and was brought before the court in custody.

Rose, of Gladstone Street, pleaded guilty to theft, begging and breaching the drug treatment and testing order.

Martin Wiggins, defending, said that his client accepted that he was going to prison for the offences.

He said: "He has a very considerable history of offending for matters of theft and it is right to say the bulk of it is directly connected with his heroin problem."

When he was put on a treatment order before he said Rose was keen to get off heroin but found he was being forced to associate with other users on the course.

Although he accepted committing the offences he said that he had only snatched £7 from the woman in the car and not £22.

He said that Rose lived with his girlfriend of four years, who did not take drugs and was currently pregnant, and their daughter.

"He has been a thorn in the side of the local community," he said, adding "He is very sorry and contrite for what he has done."