AN alcoholic stole a bottle of wine to feed her addiction.
Roberta Wilson was caught on CCTV stealing the £2.49 bottle from the Co-op in Dean Road, South Shields, on December 3.
The 51-year-old pleaded guilty to theft at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court two days later but her sentence was deferred.
In December, Wilson, of Froude Avenue, South Shields, was told to keep out of trouble for eight weeks.
When she reappeared, the court heard she had not committed any more crimes and she was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £2.49 to the Co-op.
The probation service told the court that Wilson was working with them to overcome her alcohol problems.
Chairman of the bench Gerry Tierney said: “You can continue with the work you have been doing and hopefully make more progress.
“This is an incentive to keep going.”
David Hatfield, defending, said: “It’s clear the probation service don’t think she needs to engage with them on a more formal basis.
“When she is sober she’s one of the nicest people you could meet; when she’s drunk she can be nasty and offensive.”