Desperate South Tyneside woman raids Greggs for food after her benefits cut
A desperate South Tyneside woman raided South Shields Greggs branch after her benefits were chopped.
A South Tyneside woman pinched a sandwich and drink from Greggs in desperation after her benefits were cut to £24 a fortnight, a court heard.
Stacey Allen, 38, targeted the firm’s King Street branch in South Shields, and made off with goods totalling £4 on Tuesday, October 7.
And when her benefits were again sanctioned six months later, she repeated the trick but at a Marks & Spencer outlet, prosecutor Paul Anderson said.
On that occasion, on Saturday, April 11, Allen, of Whitehead Street, Tyne Dock, stole two bottles of wine – totalling £36 in value - from its store in Chester-le-Street.
Borough magistrates were told she had no offending record until the age of 36, when personal issues led her into crime.
Allen committed one of her theft offences while subject to both a community order and a conditional discharge.
Guilty plea
She pleaded guilty to two counts of shop theft – and magistrates admitted they were slightly baffled how to deal with her case.
After deliberations, they revoked her current community order and replaced it with an updated one – and ordered her to fully compensate the retailers.
Mr Anderson said: “It’s a straight-forward matter. She takes a £4 sandwich and drink in one theft, and two bottles of wine, quite expensive wine.
“The wine was not recovered, I think it was consumed before police involvement.
“You’ll see her record is predominately of similar matters of inquisitive shop thefts.”
‘Life has been particularly difficult’
David Forrester, defending, told the hearing: “She is 38 years of age and until the age of 36 there was nothing. Since then, her life has been particularly difficult.
“In October she was sanctioned, she had no money. She went into Greggs and took a sandwich and a drink.
“It was similar in April, when she was sanctioned again. She took two bottles of wine. There are other relevant offences.
“She was receiving £24 a fortnight which, to be frank, is just a nonsense. No one can live on that.”
Magistrates made Allen, who owes £9,000 from previous court matters, subject to a 20-month community order, with 25 rehabilitation days.
There were no court costs, but Allen must pay full compensation to the two retailers.