Woman stole £1400 of shopping from Bishop Auckland Tesco

Bishop Auckland: So, there’s this woman, Tracey Spensley, who got into a bit of trouble. She’s 33 and lives on Salvin Street in Croxdale. Recently, she showed up at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court and admitted to stealing from Tesco multiple times between August and November 2024.

The court found out she was quite the shoplifter, nabbing all sorts of stuff like whiskey, candles, cleaning supplies, food, and even gift sets. In total, she swiped over £1,400 worth of goods. That’s a hefty haul!

For one of her thefts, which involved £150 worth of food, the magistrates hit her with a £120 fine and made her pay £330 in compensation. Plus, she had to cough up £85 for prosecution costs and a £48 surcharge for victim services.

While they didn’t give her separate penalties for the other thefts, they did take her guilty plea into account. The prosecutor, Sara Kemp, talked about how her actions affected the store financially. On the flip side, her defense lawyer, Paul Donoghue, pointed out that she cooperated and pleaded guilty early on.

In the end, the court decided to set up a collection order to make sure she pays back the fines through deductions from her benefits. She’s got 14 days to sort out that lump sum. Quite the story, huh?