Jailed shoplifter had 18 convictions (From St Helens Star)

Jailed shoplifter had 18 convictions

1:56pm Tuesday 12th February 2013 in News

A SECURITY guard dragged a shoplifter away from embracing her mother at a court as she was led to the cells after being jailed for three months.

Sarah Jayne Carleton, 25, from Dawn Close, Sutton Heath, was sentenced at St Helens Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of stealing £45 worth of meat from a Co-Op store in Wigan last September.

Carleton was also found guilty of failing to surrender to police bail at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on December 5.

Angela Blackmore, prosecuting, said that Carleton had 18 previous convictions comprising a total of 29 offences in total, with 11 for dishonesty.

Mrs Blackmore said she also had a history of breaching court orders.

Carleton’s defence solicitor David Lloyd said that his client suffers from addiction to heroin and crack cocaine.

Sentencing her to 12 weeks in jail, magistrates said that custody in this matter was not really a punishment, indicating that it was a chance to seek help for her drug addiction.