Serial thief Jade MacBeth 'happy to be jailed' after shoplifting spree in Sunderland and Northumberland

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A homeless serial thief who stole more than £2,000 of goods in a crime spree in Sunderland and other locations has been jailed for a year.

But bizarrely, repeat offender Jade MacBeth, 28 - recently released from a prison term – is entirely happy with her lot, her solicitor told a court.

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Alastair Naismith revealed MacBeth had committed some of her offences in the hope of being put behind bars.

Northumbria Police

During her most recent spell inside, she had weaned herself off drugs – and he said she wanted more of the same.

Mr Naismith told magistrates in South Tyneside: “She says that her sentence was helpful because she is now off drugs.

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“You’ve heard she’s homeless. She has done this to be sent back to custody. There’s no reality of anything but custody.

“The invitation from me, unusually, is that you send her to custody. She can get help in Low Newton.”

MacBeth pleaded guilty to six shop thefts, the racial abuse of a policeman and failing to surrender to custody.

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She stole £500 of goods from a Boots outlet in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, on Friday, October 27 last year, prosecutor Paul Anderson said.

Next up was the theft of a £495 Jimmy Choo bag from retailer Flannels’ Sunderland store on Wednesday, May 15, 

On Monday, June 3, she took £104 of meat and other goods from Aldi in the city’s Carley Hill area.

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And she struck again on Friday, July 12, swiping £849 of cosmetics from the Rutherford & Co store in Morpeth, Northumberland.

MacBeth also made off with items totalling £114 from B&M at Roker Retail Park, Roker, on Tuesday, July 23.

Her spree continued on Tuesday, October 15, when she fled with £67 of meat from an Aldi outlet in Sunderland.

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In between, she failed to surrender to custody at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court, North Yorks, on Thursday, April 11.

And she racially abused a policeman, with intent to cause alarm or distress, in Sunderland on Saturday, June 1. 

Mr Anderson said the goods from Boots were recovered after MacBeth fled to a car which was later stopped by police.

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He revealed she was identified for most other offences by security cameras but only after she had made off.

The court heard she owes £5,615 from past offending which she was making no attempt to pay.

MacBeth was given 14-week consecutive sentences for her thefts from Flannels and Rutherford & Co.

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She was also handed consecutive sentences of 16 weeks for the Boots theft and eight weeks for racial harassment, with no punishment for the other charges.

She must pay full compensation on all unrecovered goods and £100 to the police officer. 

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