January 22, 2019 2.02 pm This story is over 61 months old

Addict asks to be jailed after stealing from shop

She was initially given a community penalty, but asked the judge for prison

An addict who was caught shoplifting alcohol from a shop asked a judge to be jailed.

Teresa Wilson, 48, walked out of an Aldi store in Spalding without paying for three bottles of gin.

She was initially given a community penalty, but wasn’t happy with the ruling.

Moments after leaving the dock at Lincoln Crown Court she asked for to be sent to jail.

Her barrister Edna Leonard told the court: “She didn’t expect not to go to prison. She is prepared to go to prison and in fact wants to go to prison.”

As a result, Wilson returned to the dock and was jailed for six months.

Judge Simon Hirst told her: “I had hoped you might be able to avoid custody and access the help you need.

“However, you take the view that prison might do you good.”

Wilson of Double Street, Spalding, admitted theft of three bottles of gin worth £59.97 on November 6 last year.

She also admitted breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed at the Crown Court in July 2018 for burglary and breach of a conditional discharge imposed by Lincoln Magistrates’ on January 24 2018.

Lucy Jones, prosecuting, said the latest offence occurred when Wilson was seen to leave the Aldi store without paying for the gin. She was followed by a security guard and stopped.

Miss Leonard, in mitigation, said that Wilson became addicted to opiates while working in the USA and on her return to this country started taking heroin.

“She has fallen from a comfortable, nice place in the world.

“She was a lady who was working as an au pair. She moved to the United States where she met her husband who was an abusive man.

“She was prescribed Fentanyl. When she went back to the United Kingdom but Fentanyl is not prescribed here and she started using heroin. She is struggling so much with this drug.

“All of her friends are drug users. She is trying to build a new circle of friends.”