A woman threatened to 'syringe' security guards.
A WOMAN threatened security staff after being stopped for shoplifting by telling them she would stab them with an infected syringe.
Anna O'Leary had been spotted taking three fragrances worth a total of £165 from Debenhams, in Swansea city centre, on Wednesday. But Swansea Magistrates' Court was told that when two security staff approached her and asked her to accompany them back in the store, she told them: "If you keep following me, I will syringe you, and I have HIV and Aids."
Sharon Anderson, prosecuting, said the 37-year-old then went towards the nearby Tesco store where some of their security guards also approached her.
"She threatened them also by repeatedly saying she was going to get them with a syringe. She had removed the fragrances from a bag and discarded them in the undergrowth."
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Mitigating, Stuart John told the court O'Leary had a "formidable" record, having committed 225 previous offences due to a long-standing drug addiction.
He added: "I have known and dealt with her for a long time. This is an opportunity to get her involved in a structured support network.
"And she is under no illusions that if she does not seize this opportunity she will find herself back in custody."
The court also heard O'Leary, who had lost her accommodation at a hotel in Oystermouth Road as a result of her latest offence, faced a number of mental health issues.
Mr John said of the heroin user: "She stole in order to purchase food. When approached by a security guard, she believed he approached her in a threatening manner which gave her flashbacks to when she was a victim of domestic violence. But she accepts her behaviour was inappropriate."
O'Leary, who told the court she was now staying at an address in Carlton Terrace, had returned to court for sentencing following the compilation of a Probation Service report.
She was given a community order for 12 months, with a 20-day rehabilitation order, and ordered to pay £375 in fines and costs.
Chairman of magistrates, Keith Davies, said: "We have given this a lot of thought. We hope you take your chance."
Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Shoplifter-s-infected-syringe-stab-threats/story-28128607-detail/story.html#ixzz3qonn0OIc
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