A thief swiped alcoholic shots from a discount shop and sold them to someone else – who was then overheard talking about the dodgy transaction by police.
Angela O’Leary had stole £3.50 worth of shots from the B&M store in Medway Street, Chatham on July 22.
But after selling them nearby in the town, police officers overheard someone talking about buying them and a bottle of wine from her and went to investigate.
They then seized the stolen goods in Chatham High Street and when they checked the store’s CCTV cameras, they found O’Leary was with another person when the shots were swiped from the shelves.
The 41-year-old was arrested and searched and officers found she had unprescribed Class C drugs on her.
She was charged and hauled before magistrates in Medway on July 23, a day after being nabbed by police.
While in the dock, O’Leary, of no fixed address but who hails from the Towns, admitted one count of shoplifting and one count of being in possession of class C drugs.
Victoria Aked, prosecuting, said: “Police overheard someone talking about a bottle of wine and some shots they had been sold [by O’Leary], and they were handed back to the police.
“CCTV was checked and it was her and another in the B&M store taking the items and when she was searched, she was found with some white pills.
“These were class C drugs not prescribed to her, they were pregabalin, temazepam and other medications.”
The court also heard O’Leary, who has an addiction to painkillers, has previous convictions for shoplifting and was last in court for such an offence the month before [June].
She also had other convictions for assaults on emergency workers and shoplifting, which were committed in 2021.
The prosecutor added: “On June 13, she was given custody and was released into the community on June 25.”
Magistrates also heard her licence period after release expired on the day before she was arrested, and so, she was no longer subject to recall to prison.
The court heard it was a low-level theft and the Class C drugs O’Leary was found with she claimed she took for pain.
Magistrates fined her £50 for the offence and ordered her to pay a victim surcharge of £20 as well as £85 court costs.
She was also ordered to pay B&M £3.50 back for the shots she stole, and will pay the total of what she owes at a rate of £20 a month as she’s claiming benefits.
It was not revealed in court where the bottle of wine had been stolen from.
