Meat thief’s pork and lamb haul from Tesco

Clair Rushforth, of Nelson Road, Maltby, admitted at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to taking meat worth £43 from Tesco, High Street, Maltby, in September.

Rushforth was seen by the store’s manager acting suspiciously and walking out of the store past the checkouts, prosecutor Mrs Yvonne Wragg told the court.

She triggered the alarm and was asked to open her bag by the manager, revealing Tesco-branded meat inside including a leg of lamb and two pork joints.

Rushforth admitted, when interviewed by police, that she had no money to pay for the meat and had stolen them to feed her children.

Rushforth, who represented herself, told the court she was a heroin addict at the time of the offence and “was in a really bad place”.

She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £50 costs.