Sunderland thieves ordered to pay back £2,000 after targeting Home Bargains, Boots and B&M
Partners in crime who stole more than £2,000 of goods from shops on Wearside and beyond have been ordered by a court to pay back all their ill-gotten gains.
Rebecca Melaney, 47, and Connor Moran, 30, targeted Home Bargains four times and Boots and B&M twice each between April and September.
Melaney, of Percy Terrace, Hendon, and Moran, of Rothbury, Ryhope, also stole from a Sunderland branch of One Beyond.
The Home Bargains thefts were from the firm’s branch in Newbottle Street, Houghton-le-Spring, and netted them £582, South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard.
Their offences against B&M were at its stores at Blaydon and Gateshead.
They also stole once each from Boots’ branch in Ellison Way, Gateshead, and Gosforth, Newcastle.
At One Beyond, they combined to take £326 of toothpaste and they attempted to steal £347 of make-up items from Boots at Kingston Park, also Newcastle.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft from a shop and one of attempted theft at an earlier court hearing and returned to be sentenced.
Melaney had never previously been convicted and Moran had just two thefts on his record.
At their previous hearing, it was said their crimes had been fuelled by their use of crack cocaine.
Prosecutor Carlie McArdle said: “It is multiple shop thefts. Both defendants acted together and no goods were recovered.
“Across the two prosecution files, the total amount taken was £2,022.68, so it’s half compensation each.”
Magistrates sentenced Melaney to a 12-month community order and a six-month drug treatment programme.
They sentenced Moran to an 18-month community order and six-month drug treatment programme and ordered both to pay £1,011 in compensation.