A THIEF who snatched a woman’s handbag outside a town centre nightclub has been spared jail.

Martyn Galley pinched the handbag and its contents, which were valued at more than £1,500, from his victim outside a bar during an incident on the evening of Saturday, January 11.

Door staff gave chase to the 32-year-old before detaining him on Palmyra Square.

Galley, of St Helens, then racially-abused a bystander and assaulted an attending police officer.

Appearing at Warrington Magistrates Court on Wednesday, February 5, he was handed a 12-week imprisonment suspended for a year.

He had earlier admitted theft, assaulting an emergency services worker and a racially-aggravated public order offence.

Galley, formerly of St Elphin’s Close in Howley, was ordered to pay compensation of £1,474 to the theft victim and £50 to the police officer.

Magistrates also ordered him to serve a 12-month community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days and a 19-day thinking skills programme.

He received a 12-month conditional discharge for the public order offence.