Sunderland teenager caught with steak knife told by judge she is at a 'crossroads in life'

Chloe Warwick, 19, was handed a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for a year by magistrates who said they believe she can change her ways.

But they warned that her life is at a crossroads and she risks being jailed if she continues to offend.

Warwick, of Gordon Road, Grindon, was found in possession of the weapon in the city on Tuesday, July 16.

And on Friday, November 29, she joined a male accomplice in pinching alcohol from the Coop’s outlet in The Broadway, also Grindon,

Prosecutor Paul Anderson told South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court: “She was found with a steak knife, after a report to the police.

“Officers attended and she said that she didn’t have it in her pocket, but it was recovered.

“She said that she had found it and had kept it because something might happen.”

Of the burglary, Mr Anderson added: “It’s clear that she wasn’t alone because of the loss and the damage caused.

“She is charged with taking the alcohol which she was found with. The police don’t know who the other person was.

“The chances of another person being arrested appear remote.”

Warwick pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a bladed article and burglary.

Ben Hurst, defending, said a Probation Service report into Warwick’s behaviour had revealed “how vulnerable she is”.

He added: “Her account of the blade is that she found it and kept it because she had had her bag stolen.

“For the burglary, a male was with her. Someone else has come up with the idea of the burglary and she has gone along.

“CCTV footage shows that she hesitates before going into the store. She was with two bottles.

“There are a number of underlying issues. She does not know where she’ll be from one day to the next. She leads a transient lifestyle.

“Custody is not the place for Ms Warwick. She knows what custody does to people.

“She does not want to go down that path. She wants help and she is asking for help.”

Magistrates also imposed 20 rehabilitation days and fined Warwick £40, with a £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs, with £10 compensation to the Coop.

John Lee, chair of the bench, told her: “You are 19 years old and at something of a crossroads in your life.

“If you commit any further offences in the next 12 months, the first thing a bench will look to do is activate the suspended sentence.”