A homeless woman caught stealing from B&M clawed a security guard when she was stopped.
29-year-old Rebecca Cole pleaded guilty to two charges of shoplifting and an assault by beating when she appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 4 October.
Prosecutor Tom Power said the defendant, who is from Devizes but is currently living on the streets of Swindon, carried out “straightforward” thefts of food from B&M stores in Swindon on 5 and 8 August.
When she was lightly detained by a security guard on the second occasion, she shouted: “You can’t touch me, let me go” – before clawing his hand with her fingernails.
The man suffered “cuts to his hand” when he was “assaulted by the defendant during the commission of the offence”, Mr Power said. “There were a few marks where the skin was torn.”
The court was told that Cole has numerous previous offences of shoplifting on her record.
Maurine Dunn, defending, said her client has been homeless the past year or so, stating that she has “no money and nowhere to live”.
She said that Cole “does need help”, adding that she wants to get her ID documents together so she can apply for benefits instead of committing offences to feed herself.
Ms Dunn said the defendant does not have a drug habit.
Chair of the bench, Jane Flew, handed down a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days. She was also fined £50.
Due to having “absolutely no means whatsoever”, no compensation was awarded to the injured security guard.
