Margaret Mary Price pleaded guilty to two counts of theft when she appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court
A MUM-OF-FIVE who stole a £570 dress in a "planned and targeted attack" from a shop has avoided jail.
But a district judge warned her that if she doesn't mend her ways "there will come a time when your children will discover their mother is in prison — that will be entirely your fault".
Swansea Magistrates Court heard that Margaret Mary Price was one of a group of Irish travellers who went into the Stardust Boutique in Sketty on February 22 this year and began trying dresses on.
While staff were distracted the 33-year-old hid a £570 dress under her jacket, and the group left the premises.
The court heard the shop quickly realised what had happened and checked CCTV cameras then passed a number of images to the police, which subsequently appeared in the Evening Post.
Sharon Anderson, prosecuting, said the day after the CCTV stills appeared in the paper a woman with an Irish accent called the Stardust Boutique and said she was going to sue the owner for making the photos public.
The prosecutor said police enquiries were made to try to trace Price "without success" until, on October 7, police found her in a car on Carmarthen Road in Swansea and arrested her.
Price, of Penybryn caravan park, Llwynhendy, Llanelli, pleaded guilty to the February theft and to the theft of toiletries from the Kevin Thomas pharmacy in Killay on September 23 when she appeared before district judge Neil Thomas today.
The court heard that in her police interview she admitted to officers she had hid the dress under her jacket and stolen it, and had subsequently given it to a friend to take to Ireland. She also admitted stealing gift boxes of shampoo from the chemists because she "wanted to wash her hair but couldn't afford them".
The court heard Price has previous convictions for 12 offences, including nine for dishonesty matters, and is currently on police bail over further shoplifting allegations.
A probation report into the defendant said she was "deficient in terms of thinking skills and money management" and had literacy issues, and was "genuinely remorseful" for stealing the dress.
The court heard Price was a mother-of-five who had been in financial difficulties at the time of the offence and had been "too proud" to ask for help, but that her family were now aware of the situation, and were helping her.
District judge Neale Thomas told Price the theft had been a "targeted and planned attack" on the shop.
He told her: "There will come a time when your children will discover their mother is in prison — that will be entirely your fault.
"For each of the two thefts Price was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, and she was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course. She must also pay the shop £570 compensation, and pay prosecution costs of £85 and a court surcharge of £115.
The district judge warned her that if she committed any more offences she would be sent to prison.
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/mum-of-five-stole-570-dress-from-prom-shop-in-planned-and-targeted-attack/story-29877772-detail/story.html#8UIdb8psQKklKmv1.99
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