Worksop couple resorted to shoplifting after benefits sanctioned

Prosecutor Rebecca Williams said Carla Parrish and Jonathon McGrath stole protein shakes and washing pods, worth £36, on March 2.

Pari Seeley, mitigating, said they deserved full credit for their early guilty pleas and there had been no offending since.

She said McGrath was last in trouble in 2019 when he received a drug rehabilitation requirement and is no longer taking any illicit substances.

"At the time they were having issues with their benefits," Ms Seeley said. "This was simply a way of trying to get some money together."

She said Parrish, who was last before the court in 2018, had her benefits sanctioned for six weeks.

Parrish, 35, of Hardwick Road East, and McGrath, 33, of Kingston Road, admitted theft when they appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday.

They both received 12-month conditional discharges and were each ordered to pay a £22 surcharge and £20 costs.