A one-woman crimewave from Derbyshire has been jailed after a spree of thefts and frauds

A one-woman crimewave has been jailed after she committed three thefts, five frauds, handled stolen goods and twice failed to surrender to custody during court proceedings.
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Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on February 13 how Claire Jade O’Connell, 28, of Fairfield Road, Buxton, also went on a crime spree across Buxton while she was already on a community order.

Prosecuting solicitor Neil Hollett said O’Connell struck on January 18 at Iceland Foods, on Spring Gardens, at Buxton, where she placed food into a bag and made to leave without paying.

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O’Connell was arrested for the theft and told police she had a £30 a day heroin addiction and her only income was benefits.

Pictured is Claire O'Connell, 28, of Fairfield Road, Buxton, who has been jailed for 26 weeks after she committed three thefts, five frauds, handled stolen goods and twice failed to surrender to custody.Pictured is Claire O'Connell, 28, of Fairfield Road, Buxton, who has been jailed for 26 weeks after she committed three thefts, five frauds, handled stolen goods and twice failed to surrender to custody.
Pictured is Claire O'Connell, 28, of Fairfield Road, Buxton, who has been jailed for 26 weeks after she committed three thefts, five frauds, handled stolen goods and twice failed to surrender to custody.

Mr Hollett said that O’Connell went on to commit fraud by using stolen bank and credit cards which had been reported stolen from a car to make a gain for herself with card transactions for goods.

CCTV showed this defendant with a male outside Tesco, on London Road, Buxton, on January 26, before she went into the store and used a stolen debit card to buy alcohol and cigarettes and she went back to buy other items with a stolen credit card.

More items were bought with the stolen credit card from McColl’s, on Scarsdale Place, at Buxton, at High Street News, on High Street, Buxton, and at One Stop, in Buxton, during three further frauds on January 26.

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O’Connell also stole two bottles of brandy from Morrisons, on Bakewell Road, at Buxton, on January 25, and was caught with a foil-lined bag on January 31 at Morrisons, on Bakewell Road, Buxton, which shoplifters use to stop alarms going off.

O’Connell pleaded guilty to the two thefts and five frauds and admitted handling stolen goods and possessing a foil-lined bag for a theft.

The defendant also admitted failing to surrender to custody and failing to comply with a previously imposed community order by failing to attend with her probation officer.

Magistrates revoked the community order and re-sentenced her for the original offences which were subject to the community order including failing to surrender to custody and stealing £350 of DVDs from WH Smith, at Spring Gardens Centre. Buxton.

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Defence solicitor Ben Strelley said O’Connell had started to associate with old peers and other offenders and she had started using illicit substances again to deal with emotional difficulties after being clean.

Mr Strelley added that she had previously failed to attend court because police had carried out a raid at her home.

Magistrates sentenced O’Connell to 26 weeks of custody and ordered her to pay £165.40 in compensation.