The £1,000 fall: Drunk thief gets hefty fine after falling off mountain bike

Opportunistic Emma Waters climbed onto the expensive mountain bike after spotting it unattended in a supermarket foyer at The Galleries in Washington.

But the 31-year-old was so intoxicated she promptly fell off the bicycle - which was then swiftly stolen by a fellow thief.

Her crime was uncovered after her fall was captured on CCTV and she was tracked down by cops.

She initially denied the theft, before changing her plea ahead of a trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

The bike, which belongs to a 17-year-old boy, has yet to be recovered.

He had allowed a pal to borrow the Orbea mountain bike for a shopping trip, only to receive a phone call telling him it had been snatched.

Glenda Beck, prosecuting, said: “The matter was reported to police who attended the scene and viewed CCTV which showed two males and a female.

“The female is seen to get on the bike, but then fall off. One of the males then gets on the bike and rides off.”

In a statement read out in court, the victim said: “I spend my free time on my bikes and this one was very expensive.

“It will take me a long time to replace it.”

Alanna Wesencraft, defending, said Waters regretted her actions and planned to write a letter of apology to the victim.

Miss Wesencraft said: “She was intoxicated at the time .”

Waters, of Brinkburn Court, Byker, must pay compensation to the victim of £1,000, as well as a £180 criminal courts charge.

She must also complete a 12-month community order and a 12-week electronically-tagged curfew from the hours of 7pm to 7am.