Thief stole £200 from Wilkinson's in Sunderland 'to sell so she could pay electricity bill'

Lisa Bulmer, 41, of Salisbury Street in Sunderland, was spotted by a police officer carrying a basket of goods from the store.

She was confronted by the officer and arrested, despite claiming that she had not stolen anything at first.

She appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court where she admitted a charge of theft in relation to the incident.

Caught with air fresheners in basket

Prosecutor Lee Poppett said: “Ms Bulmer was observed by Pc Stringer carrying the Wilkinsons basket along with items clearly outside of Wilkinsons.

“Ms Bulmer has described that she simply found it in a back alley somewhere.”

However, after being arrested she admitted stealing the air fresheners after seeing no security guards on duty.

Issues with benefits led Lisa Bulmer to steal to pay for electricity, court is told

She told the court that she had been told at the job centre that it would take a month for her benefits to be paid and she only had £35 to live on until then.

Her defence solicitor reiterated the problems Bulmer is having with her benefits and stated that she had been hoping to sell the air fresheners in order to pay for electricity for her home.

Her case was adjourned so that probation could interview Bulmer and she will be sentenced at a later date.