Single mother stole £400 of Sainsbury's goods on Christmas Eve
A single mother admitted stealing nearly £400 of items from a supermarket hours before Christmas because she had bought no gifts.
Laura Oakley was watched by a security guard at Sainsbury's in Oldbury putting items in a shopping trolley before covering them up with clothes and an orange bag at about 3.30pm last Christmas Eve.
She was seen removing security tags. She then bought cigarettes from a kiosk before walking out of the Freeth Street store without paying for most of the items, totalling £388.82.
A shop detective brought her back into the store and Oakley, of Hartlebury Road, Oldbury, denied she had been about to take the items away, Walsall Magistrates Court was told
Mr Shabeer Qureshi, for 23-year-old Oakley, said: "She is extremely sorry for what she has done and worried she is about to go to prison."
Oakley must serve a four-week community order from 7pm until 7am at her home until February 23.
