Man jailed after alcohol theft goes bottoms up

A man who helped himself to bountiful supply of alcohol foiled his own getaway by enjoying the fruits of the crime.

Warren Andrew Argall today pleaded guilty in the Darwin Magistrates Court to three charges of unlawful entry and three charges of stealing.

The court heard that at about 11pm on Monday night, Argall and his accomplice Dion Barry Crowle entered Char Restaurant on Darwin's Esplanade through an unlocked back gate and forced open a sliding door.

Argall made off with a wheelie bin with bottles of spirits, however, it appears the binload of booze wasn't enough, and the two made repeat visits to steal more alcohol throughout the night.

At about 6am, Argall returned and took a box of Corona and a box of Boags beer, and an hour later police found him asleep on the footpath outside Char, the court heard.

At his feet was the wheelie bin full of spirits and the two boxes of beer.

All together, Argall stole 151 bottles of assorted spirits and 216 stubbies of beer from the restaurant, with a combined value of $7,507.

The court heard he had absolutely no recollection of the night.

"I'm ashamed of myself," he said.

He had no prior convictions for theft, dishonesty, or breaking and entering, Magistrate Michael Carey said.

For the six offences he was sentenced to one month in prison from January 2.

Crowle will reappear in court in January.