Drug addict shoplifter given chance to clean up

Gemma Louise Kinsella, 33, of Garside Street, admitted stealing the goods, worth £89, from the store on Eastgate, in Worksop, on December 30, last year.

Sanjay Jerath, prosecuting, said: “She paid for some items and she didn’t pay for others. She was caught red-handed.

“When you see the defendant’s record you will see she is no stranger to the court system.”

The court heard Kinsella had 30 previous convictions, 22 of which were for dishonesty, with the latest in November 2015.

David Verity, mitigating, said Kinsella was now on a drug rehabilitation programme and ‘is doing extremely well.’

He said: “The majority of the convictions are against a background of committing offences to feed a drug habit. At the time she needed money to obtain drugs.

“Things have now moved on.

“In November she felt she was in a position to engage with probation and was desperate to deal with her drug problem.

“The longer she remains on this order hopefully she will turn a corner and become drug free.”

The probation service said she had been making good progress with the rehabilitation programme.

Magistrates in Mansfield gave her a four week sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered her to pay a victim surcharge of £40.