A THIEF stole more than £300 worth of booze from a high-end supermarket chain in Ulverston to fund her drug addiction, a court heard.

Julie Cottier, of Risedale Road in Barrow, was captured on CCTV at Booths in Ulverston on May 19 placing bottles of spirits in a shopping trolley, South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecutor Lee Dacre said Cottier – aged 57 - pushed £312.50 worth of alcohol out of the store deliberately without paying.

Mr Dacre said the defendant admitted the offence in a police interview and said that she admitted to stealing the items to buy drugs.

The items were never recovered by police, the court heard.

In mitigation, Karen Templeton said her client had previously conquered her drug addiction but had recently fallen back into bad habits.

Ms Templeton said: “The defendant and her partner do not go out much. However, they were in a social situation where cocaine was available. Her addiction has spiralled out of control again as a result and she has started to use every day.

“She has gone back to Recovery Steps and is now dealing with her issues. She is well aware of what the problem is and is now getting help from agencies.

The court heard Cottier was prosecuted for a similar offence of stealing alcohol from a supermarket store on April 11.

Chair of the bench Michael Halshaw fined Cottier £120 for the offence.

Before proceeding to sentence, he said: “It is sad after 20 years of being straight that you find yourself in this situation. This is clearly a very serious matter.

“There was a degree of planning which is aggravated because you have done this previously. This has been a very expensive trip for you.”

Cottier was also ordered to pay the full amount of items stolen back to Booths in compensation, as well as paying court costs of £85 and a £48 victim surcharge.