A WOMAN caught shoplifting from a Chard supermarket ignored a security staff offer to give her a store ban instead of calling the police and ended up being arrested after she became agitated and distressed.

Laura Andrews had been spotted piling items into a trolley, and when she got to the checkout only paid for a handful of the goods with cash.

She walked out of the store with the rest of her shopping, but when staff suggested imposing a store ban instead of prosecuting her she became agitated and as a result the police were then called.

Andrews, 28, of Auckland Way, pleaded guilty to stealing food- stuff worth £88.76 belonging to Sainsbury’s at Chard on December 8 last year when she appeared before Somerset magistrates.

Prosecutor Christine Hart said that the defendant was in Sainsbury’s in Chard when she was seen filling up a trolley with items and aroused the suspicions of security staff.

“She went to the self checkout area and scanned half a dozen items and then left without paying for the rest,” she said.

“She was stopped and escorted back into the store and at that stage was told that if she came back it would be possible to offer her a banning order instead of getting the police involved.

“However Andrews became agitated and kept trying to leave and as a result the security staff decided they had to call the police," the prosecutor added.”

When she was arrested and interviewed she said she tried to pay for the items with a card but got frustrated when it was declined.

She then paid with cash for some items and said she had intended to return to pay for the rest.

Neil Priest, defending, said that Andrews attempted to pay for the shopping with a card but it was declined.

“She then made the foolish decision to pay for some of the items with a little bit of cash she had on her and left the store with the remainder,” he said.

“If she had not been quite so distressed then she could have just had a store banning order, and these court proceedings have caused her even more distress and she now just wants to move on.”

The magistrates imposed a 12-month conditional discharge on Andrews and ordered her to pay £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.