A serial shoplifter has been jailed after walking into a store in the SouthGate shopping centre in Bath and stealing items worth a total of £920.
Sarah Flanagan, of no fixed address, appeared in custody before city magistrates last Thursday, 8th May, and pleaded guilty to theft.
On 27th February, the 49-year-old was seen on CCTV taking six items from close to the entrance of North Face and then walking out.
By being caught stealing, Flanagan was in breach of a suspended 18-week prison sentence imposed in May 2024 by Norwich magistrates for an assault on an emergency worker. That sentence had been suspended for 18 months.
The court heard that Flanagan has 25 previous convictions for 63 offences, including theft and dishonesty.
She has struggled with homelessness and drug issues and acknowledged the inevitability of a custodial sentence, welcoming the chance to get off the streets and the help she needs.
The prosecution asked for £920 compensation as the stolen goods had not been recovered, and for £85 court costs.
Magistrates sentenced Flanagan to 28 weeks in custody. They reduced the suspended sentence from 18 weeks to 12 weeks, as three-fifths of it had been completed, and imposed a 16-week sentence for the theft, to run consecutively.
The magistrates did not award costs or compensation but said a £154 victim surcharge – a penalty applied to people convicted of offences – would be added to what Flanagan already owes the court, which is about £2,000.
The money will be taken out of her benefits.
