Man banned from British county after being busted with $450 worth of Creme Eggs in his jacket and bag

A man has been banned from a British county after stealing $450 worth of Creme Eggs.

Deon De Groot, 26, was caught red-handed — his jacket stuffed with boxes of Cadbury Creme Eggs — in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Cracked the case — Creme Egg thief caught red-handed.

Police said he walked into a Tesco Express at a petrol station on Welland Rd, Dogsthorpe, about 11.40am GMT, filling his jacket and a duffle bag with the chocolate treats before trying to leave without paying.

A staff member spotted the theft and alerted police, who quickly tracked De Groot down.

When officers asked him to unzip his jacket, he said: “It’s all gonna fall out.”

As they began unzipping, boxes of Creme Eggs started spilling out — causing officers to stop before the rest tumbled to the ground.

Police also found the duffle bag De Groot had dropped nearby, packed full of more stolen chocolate.

In total, he had taken £220.50 ($AU450) worth of Easter favourites.

De Groot appeared before Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to theft.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, and banned from entering Cambridgeshire for the next three months.

PC Guy Cunningham, who made the arrest, praised the store’s quick-thinking staff.

“Thanks to the quick reaction by staff who flagged us down, we were able to catch De Groot red-handed and return the stolen items to the store,” he said.