Johnathon Lee Moorcroft appeared before Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston magistrates to be sentenced for theft of £360 from a cafe on Garden Lane.
Moorcroft, 27, admitted the offence at an earlier hearing on August 6.
The court heard waitress D
eborah Price was working in the cafe at 2.10pm on June 6 when Moorcroft stole the cash.
Amanda Roberts, prosecuting, said: "She went to the rear of the cafe for a cigarette and there were no customers.
"She heard a noise and went back in to see a man. She told him to stop because she believed he had stolen something from the counter."
Miss Roberts said a witness, Mr Diamond, saw Moorcroft leaving the cafe and then Miss Price ran out of the building asking where he was. Mr Diamond followed Moorcroft down an alleyway.
"They saw the man running towards him but he ran down another alley leading to Bouverie Street. He gave chase," said Miss Roberts.
Miss Roberts said Moorcroft dropped a plastic sports bag that was later recovered and found to contain documentation with his name on it. Mr Diamond returned to the cafe with the bag and it was discovered £360 had been stolen. Moorcroft was arrested at the YMCA in Birmingham and admitted the offence.
Miss Roberts added: "He said he had later counted the cash and said it was £280 which he spent on heroin."
Moorcroft was placed on a community order with supervision for a year, drug rehabilitation for nine months and ordered to attend the Alcohol and Substance Related Offending (ASRO) programme. He was told to pay £360 compensation and £43 costs.
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