A WEST Cumbrian woman with an addiction to heroin has been jailed for a spate of offending – including the theft of two charity collection boxes.

At Carlisle’s Rickergate court, Maryport woman Kymberley Bennewith, 35, who committed her latest offences in Carlisle, admitted 12 offences, including the theft of a collection box for the Marie Curie charity.

She stole this from a pharmacy in Maryport on August 2. Bennewith stole the second charity box, raising funds for a Freeman Hospital based charity, from a Maryport branch of Spar on July 31.

The other ten offences admitted by the defendant - committed between January and August this year -were with one exceptions thefts. Prosecutor Scott Parker outlined those offences as follows:

* Stealing five bottles of Smirnoff vodka worth £112 from Asda in Workington on January 23.

  • Stealing jumpers worth £449 from House of Fraser in Carlisle on August 11.
  • Stealing a jumper of unknown value from House of Fraser in Carlisle on August 12.
  • Stealing food and washing powder valued at £181 from Sainsbury’s in Carlisle on August 7.
  • Going equipped for theft at House of Fraser on August 12 – by visiting the shop with a bag designed to bypass store security equipment.
  • Stealing goods worth £29.38 from Heron Foods in Maryport on August 3.
  • Stealing food and household items from Tescos in Maryport on July 30.
  • Stealing household items worth £30 from Heron Foods in Maryport on July 30.
  • Stealing steaks and household goods worth £150 from Lidl in Maryport on July 30.
  • And stealing steak worth £13 from the Maryport Spar shop on July 30.

Defence lawyer John Smith told magistrates: “She has a drugs problem but you will probably have gathered that.

“In her case, it’s heroin. It’s a big problem for her: she recovers for a time and then relapses from time to time.” The total value of the goods stolen over the period of the charges was around £900, said Mr Smith.

A probation officer who was in court said said Bennewith, formerly of Eaglesfield Street, Maryport but recently of Silloth Street, Carlisle, would not be accepted for a drug rehabilitation programme because she had failed to attend an assessment meeting.

“She is definitely not suitable for unpaid work,” added the officer. After considering the case, magistrates jailed the defendant for 124 days. The defendant has previously lived at an address in Whitehaven.

The defendant is known to have 21 aliases.