A SERIES of personal tragedies tore Francis Taylor's world apart and left him dependent on illegal drugs, a court was told..

Blackburn magistrates heard that Taylor, 33, was a publican in the Liverpool area and until the age of 30 had no previous convictions.

His mother and father died in quick succession and not long after his wife and young child were killed in a car crash.

Defence solicitor Jonathon Taylor said it was these tragedies which sent Taylor off the rails and led to him taking drugs.

Taylor, of Linden Crescent, Darwen, pleaded guilty to shoplifting. He told district judge Jonathon Finestein that since being remanded in custody for three months last year he had not taken drugs and that he intended to stay "clean."

Mr Finestein said he was prepared to give Taylor one last chance and impose a conditional discharge for 12 months.

"You have obviously gone to pieces over the last few years after suffering a series of tragedies in your life," said Mr Finestein, who reserved any breach of the order to himself.