Moments after his release by the court, a suspected thief in southeastern Turkey had already pocketed the cellphone of an officer while leaving the courthouse on Friday.

The suspect, only identified by the initials B.K., stood before the court after the police arrested him for stealing some cheese from a supermarket in southeastern Gaziantep province, according to the judicial authorities.

A provincial court released the suspect on probation. But old habits die hard for the repeat offender. The suspect stole the mobile phone of a court clerk from his office before leaving the courthouse, police found after inspecting surveillance recordings. The police are searching for the suspect.