Pushchair shoplifter jailed for nine months

The woman also stole alcohol from a Tesco store by concealing it within the trolley

A "prolific shoplifter" has been jailed for nine months after she was caught red-handed stealing hundreds of pounds worth of goods.

Lorraine Williams, 52, of Eaglesthorpe, New England, Peterborough, was found with more than £70 worth of items hidden in a pushchair when she was challenged by staff at Poundland on the Brotherhood Retail Park on 9 February.

She was also arrested in connection with the theft of more than £400 of alcohol from a Tesco store in Hampton on 16 January, after trying to conceal it within a shopping trolley.

Williams admitted two counts of theft at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court on Monday and was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison.

Her actions were captured on store CCTV on both occasions.

Williams was arrested in the city's Queensgate Shopping Centre on 9 February.

PC Daniel Dimeo, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: "Williams is a prolific shoplifter who is having a significant impact on the city's businesses through the volume and frequency of her crimes.

"I hope this sentence shows the impact this has and how seriously both ourselves and the courts take these matters."