A man stole two sachets of rum from Asda in Grantham but threw them out of the window of a moving car when he realised he had been spotted.
Leigh Harrison of Burrows Close in Grantham was seen on CCTV placing the rum inside his top before walking through the checkout without paying.
When approached he fled to a waiting vehicle and sped off but was seen to throw the sachets out of the passenger side window as the car was heading along Barrowby Road.
Chris Pye-Smith, defending, said: “He can’t really explain this offence.
“But he would say it is an isolated incident - a momentary idea that was very foolish.”
Harrison, 38, was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge.
He must pay costs of £85 and a £15 surcharge but was spared compensation as the goods were recovered.