Albury resident Lucas Samuel Foley had been ordered to perform 80 hours of work, and would have stayed a free man if he completed the hours. 

But the 35-year-old only managed to do 14 hours. 

Albury Local Court recently heard Foley had been assessed as unsuitable for more community work.

The court heard a stint in jail had partially prevented him from completing the work, which was imposed for an unsophisticated theft. 

Foley walked into Harris Scarfe on Kiewa Street about 11.15am on April 30 last year.

Once inside, he walked up to a Flavour Stone display and took the box to an area of the store not covered by security cameras.

He removed the anti-theft device from the $299 product and simply walked out.

Police attended the business and took copies of the security footage.

Foley was wearing the same hat in the footage when he was arrested at his home on Crisp Street on June 9.

He told police he had sold the cooking set for $100 to pay off a debt.

Foley also came to police attention in May 2016 when he was caught with knuckle dusters stuffed down his pants. 

He was jailed for three months and will be eligible for release on November 10.