Shoplifter caught at South Shields’ transport interchange with £146 of goods stolen from New Look

Ashleigh Brown, 31, of Spencer Street, Jarrow, was caught at South Shields’ transport interchange with £146 of goods, taken unpaid from the New Look store in King Street on Friday, December 27.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court was told she was “vulnerable” and had suffered domestic violence – and had been out of trouble for 12 years, save for one incident in November 2018.

Brown, who pleaded guilty to theft, was fined £40 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £32 victim surcharge.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson said: “She goes and takes these items. She’s apprehended at the nearby interchange. She has a limited record in terms of offence history.

“Her last brush with the law was over the border in Scotland, there’s nothing outstanding. The goods were recovered.”

David Forrester, defending, confirmed there had been issues around universal credit, adding: “She’s quite a vulnerable young lady, she has been the victim of violence in the past. She didn’t have any money, she didn’t have any clothes. She took the clothes out of desperation. She had some alcohol, she wasn’t acting in the best judgement at the time.”

Lorraine Montgomery, chair of the magistrates’ bench, said: “Your solicitor has said it was out of desperation because of your troubled background and history of domestic violence. You get full credit for your early guilty plea.”