A Bath woman known to be a “prolific” shoplifter has been banned from several stores in the city centre.
The Superdrug store on Westgate Street in Bath
Hannah Sandover, of Newbridge Road, appeared before city magistrates on Wednesday 10th December in relation to an assault on a shop worker at Superdrug in Westgate Street – one of the stores where she had been caught shoplifting.
During the hearing, magistrates heard that 25-year-old Sandover is known by police as a “prolific offender” with 171 occurrences on the police system, even though her list of previous convictions includes just one for shoplifting.
On 14th February, Sandover’s victim had gone out in her lunch break to the Greggs opposite Superdrug when she was assaulted in what prosecutor Maree Doyle told the court was a “deeply unpleasant” and unprovoked incident.
In a statement to the police a few days afterwards, the victim, whose hair was grabbed during the attack, said she had done nothing to deserve being assaulted and asked why people should be allowed to come into the store and steal.
Sandover had pleaded guilty in September to the offence when magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report, with a focus on her mental health.
Defending Sandover last Wednesday, solicitor Mark O’Donnell said she had a “difficult upbringing”. He said she has a personality disorder with psychotic occurrences, and there had been some interruption to her medication regime.
Regarding the assault, for which another woman has also been convicted, he said that Sandover had been accused of shoplifting in Superdrug and two days later the shop worker had “smirked” when she walked past Sandover in the street, and a “scuffle ensued”.
Mr O’Donnell said that Sandover’s previous convictions included a suspended prison sentence in 2018 after she admitted a charge of wasting police time. Then in 2019 she had made “a big mistake” and had served time in prison.
He said she tended to commit offences with other people, rather than on her own, but has aspirations to go to college and is now “not associating with people who lead her down the wrong path in terms of offending”.
The magistrates read a statement from Nick Bishop from Bath Business Improvement District (BID), who manages the Safe and Secure Business Crime Reduction Partnership, outlining the impact on retailers from shoplifting.
Magistrates imposed a community order for 12 months, with a nine-month mental health treatment requirement and up to 20 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days.
Sandover also received an immediate two-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) banning her from entering Superdrug, Primark, TK Maxx, Waitrose and Claire’s Accessories.
She must also not contact any other shop from which she has been banned, either verbally or in writing.
The order also prevents her from placing any items from any shop into to anything other than a provided shopping basket or trolley.
Sandover was also ordered to pay compensation of £100 to her victim, fined £120 and must pay £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
