Couple stole booze to pay for baby items
APREGNANT woman and her partner repeatedly stole alcohol from a supermarket to pay for baby items and a bigger flat, a court heard.
Chelsea Jolly and Luke Radford, both of Henderson Street, Rochdale, targeted the store four times in ten days and made off with £449.50 worth of alcohol.
Prosecutor Parveen Akhtar told Burnley Magistrates Court how the incidents happened between August 19 and 28 this year at the Rawtenstall Asda store.
Jolly, 21, and Radford, 36, used the ‘same modus operandi’ and were eventually arrested after officers stopped their vehicle, believing it to be stolen, the court heard.
Ms Akhtar said: “They both go into the store, select a trolley and go to the alcohol and spirits aisle. They then select various bottles of spirits and place them into the trolley.
“The tags were removed by Luke Radford and then carried in a handbag by Chelsea. They both leave the store and make no attempt to pay for the items.
“They were arrested in relation to another incident.
“There was some suggestion that the vehicle they were driving was stolen and with a different number plate.
“When officers search the vehicle they find all this alcohol. It was all recovered and there is no request for compensation.”
Jolly and Radford both pleaded guilty to four counts of shoplifting.
Radford was fined £450 and ordered to pay a £45 victim surcharge and £85 costs. Jolly was ordered to pay a £120 fine, £30 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
Nick Dearing, for the defendants, said the couple were struggling to make preparations for their new baby and it is a ‘sad state of affairs’.
He said: “Mr Radford was working as a steel erector but lost his job for a few months over the summer period.
“Miss Jolly is now 22 weeks pregnant.
“They had a small amount of her benefits coming in but not sufficient to start making preparations for the baby and getting a pram, baby clothes and similar.
“It seems that one of them came up with the idea of the theft and the other went along with it. It’s a sad state of affairs that a young couple have resorted to criminality in this situation.
“With hindsight both will have wished that they hadn’t gone down this stupid route.”