There’s No Fooling District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai!

Nicola Jenkins, 33, of Clement Street, Tredworth, pleaded guilty to stealing two bottles of Jack Daniels, when she appeared before District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai at the city's magistrates court.

Notice the date:

Prosecuting solicitor Peter Smith said: "It was 4.40pm on October 29 when security staff at Tesco in St Oswald's retail park saw the defendant place two bottles of Jack Daniels valued at £28 in her shopping trolley.

"When she got to the check-out the whisky had disappeared from the trolley into her own bag.

"The security tags had been covered with foil, which prevented them from sounding, but she was stopped outside the store and the police were called.

"She has a long list of previous convictions."

Well, yes. Because (did you pay attention to the date?) she’d only just got out of the nick!

Defending solicitor Steve Young said: "She was released from prison on October 18 and she was determined to kick her heroin habit. She has had numerous prison sentences and was living with another heroin user. She has a two-year-old son who has been taken off her.

"She is now on a methadone script and is getting counselling and no longer uses heroin.

"On says (sic) that the foil was not to cover the security tags but was for normal day-to-day use."

A likely story! Even the judge wasn’t about to put up with that!

District Judge Bopa-Rai said: "She has got a horrendous criminal record and offended as soon as she came out of prison.

"And I do not accept the explanation for the foil.

"It was clearly taken into the store for the purpose of masking the security tags."

Hurrah!

Oh:

Jenkins was given a 42-day prison sentence suspended for two years, 12 months supervision and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85.

*sigh* Once again, we see that shoplifting is not considered a real crime by those in the justice system...