A WOMAN used children to help her shoplift from a supermarket.

Lisa Conroy, 30, from Newport targeted the Tesco store in Ebbw Vale, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

The first theft took place on August 9, 2022 when she got away with £300 worth of groceries after using a boy and a girl to “facilitate the offence”.

The second incident occurred on May 6 this year when she, an unknown man and a 14-year-old boy took 19 bottles of Smirnoff and Au vodka as well as four bottles of cognac.

The value of these goods was £750.

Prosecutor Alice Sykes said: “The young male appears from CCTV to be acting as a lookout, scanning the aisles by walking to the end and looking up and down them.

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“They made make their way to the clothes section where they can be seen de-tagging the bottles.

“Miss Conroy then picks up a baby's dress and they go to the self-scan area.

“She walks to the till and pays for the dress and as she does this, the two males walked towards the exit in an attempt to leave the shop with no attempt being made to pay for those items.”

The prosecutor added: “There is now a mechanism on these trolleys which, if it hasn't been through a till, it will lock the wheels of the trolley.

“That's what happened in this case and Miss Conroy, having seen that happen, starts to shout within the store.

“The two males pick up the bags out of the trolley, run out of the shop and they then make off with those items.”

Conroy, of Locke Street, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft.

She has seven previous convictions for 11 offences which include shoplifting, again using children to help her.

Tabitha Walker representing Conroy said her client was a member of the travelling community who had since been able to secure stable accommodation and successfully apply for benefits.

The defendant had also been struggling financially because her husband was unable to work as he was in hospital with heart problems.

Her barrister added: “She makes a full apology to the court and the shop she stole from.”

The judge, Recorder Ben Blakemore, told Conroy: “What is aggravating in your case is your previous history of appalling offending and brazen shoplifting."

He added that she had come within “a whisker” of being jailed.

She was sent to prison for 15 weeks, suspended for 12 months.

The defendant must complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay Tesco £1,050 in compensation.

She also has to pay £420 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.

Recorder Blakemore warned a tearful Conroy: “If you do this again, you will go to prison.”