A MUM-OF-TWO has been banned from every shop in York city centre to try to stop her prolific shoplifting.

Jade Lauren MacLean, 24, repeatedly stole from city-centre stores including Marks & Spencer, Stead & Simpson and New Look, but was caught by staff when she took a stolen coat back to M&S and complained that it was faulty.

MacLean, of Sycamore Court, New Earswick, was accused of nine offences within a week. She pleaded guilty to seven counts of shoplifting, one of being aggressive to shop staff and one of fraud, by taking the stolen coat to customer services and asking for it to be exchanged.

She sighed with relief in the dock as magistrates suspended a16-week prison sentence for a year on condition she undertakes 12 months’ supervision and goes on a rehabilitation course to tackle her binge drinking.

The court made an exclusion order banning MacLean from going into any retail premises within the Bar Walls for the next six months and ordered her to pay £130.79 compensation to Marks & Spencer and Budgen’s, £85 prosecution costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

Mr Robertson said MacLean was arrested at the Marks & Spencer customer services desk after her trips in and out of the store raised suspicions of staff monitoring its CCTV.

She wanted a coat for her own use, stole one the wrong size and went back to get another of the right size. One “bobbled” when she washed it, so she took it back as defective. All the coats had been recovered.

Her solicitor, Craig Robertson, said she had had family difficulties involving her children and reacted “by going out and getting drunk and getting drunk and getting drunk”. She had little memory of the offences. She also admitted a further shoplifting offence committed while on bail for the earlier offences, and admitted skipping bail. Mr Robertson said all her crimes were fuelled by drink.

MacLean’s crimes

November 28
•Theft of wine worth £15.47 and Martini worth £11.32 from Budgens, Micklegate
•Public order offence in New Look, Blake Street November 30
•Theft of a coat worth £89 at Marks and Spencer, Pavement

December 1
•Theft of a coat, scarf and gloves set worth £104
•Theft of a coat worth £89
•Fraud by claiming a stolen coat had been legally bought, all at Marks & Spencer, Pavement.

December 3
•Theft of a coat worth £89 from Marks & Spencer, Pavement
•Theft of two pairs of boots from Stead and Simpson, High Ousegate December 27
•Failure to answer bail at Fulford Road police station

January 25
•Theft of clothes worth £96.95 from New Look, Blake Street