Thief caught with sweets by security guard

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Thursday, June 19, how Jodie Bearder, 33, of Wharf Road, Pinxton, had gone to the store pharmacy to get syringes for her partner and while she was waiting for these she put the sweets in her bag.

Prosecuting solicitor Becky Allsop said: “She had gone to the pharmacy for clean syringes and was waiting for these and walked round and put items in her bag.

“She was approached by a security guard and he looked in her bag and the chocolates were recovered. The last matter of dishonesty that Bearder had been dealt with for was a handling stolen goods offence eight years ago.”

Bearder pleaded guilty to stealing the chocolates after the offence was committed in May.

She also pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to custody after she should have appeared at court on June 4.

Julie Page, defending, said “Miss Bearder says this offence was not a relapse into drug use. She had gone to Tesco with a couple of family members and she had to go to the pharmacy to get syringes for her partner who is an amphetamine user.

“She was delayed and had missed her bus and wandered round the store and saw the chocolates and put them in her bag.

“She had thought she had been bailed until July not June and because she lives with different family and friends and sofa-surfs she lost her bail notice at one of the addresses.”

Magistrates told Bearder her failure to surrender to custody was the more serious of her offences. They fined her £35 and ordered her to pay £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.