A CHARD woman escaped being sent to prison while appearing in court for a matter of shoplifting after magistrates heard she had been making steps to address her drug addiction.

Claire Louise Stone was subject to a suspended prison sentence when she went into the Tesco store in the town and stuffed a quantity of DVDs into her bag.

Staff were alerted to her actions and when they saw her walking past the tills without paying they tried to speak to her but she ran off and was later arrested by the police.

When the 30-year-old defendant, of East Street, appeared before Somerset Magistrates they were told that she was also currently subject to an eight week suspended prison sentence imposed earlier this year for an offence of stealing a handbag.

She admitted the new offence of stealing a quantity of DVDs worth £70 from Tesco on August 31 at Chard and also accepted she was in breach of the suspended sentence.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said that Stone went into Tesco and was seen by a member of the public looking at the DVDs and then selected at least seven and walked away.

“She put them into a rucksack she was carrying before walking to the back of the store and staff were then alerted,” she said.

“Stone walked out of the main doors without approaching the tills and staff tried to speak to her but she ran away from the scene and the offence was caught on CCTV.”

The DVDs were valued at an estimated £70 and were not recovered and Stone was later arrested by police.

Defending solicitor Jeffrey Bannister said that Stone had battled a seven year drug addiction to cocaine and marijuana and three years ago started using heroin.

“She managed to stop using heroin six months ago but was still using crack cocaine when she committed this offence,” he said.

“This offence was committed to fund her addiction, however since her arrest she has engaged with the Somerset Drugs and Alcohol Service and has managed to reduce her cocaine use to once a fortnight.”

The magistrates decided not to activate the suspended prison sentence because of Stone’s efforts to reduce her drug use but fined her £20 for the breach.

They also fined her £60 for the theft and ordered her to pay £70 compensation to Tesco and a £150 court charge.