A COUPLE carried out a late-night raid on a sweet shop’s window display, a court heard.

It followed a drunken argument which caused them to crash through the glass.

William Cook, 32, and Laura Taylor, 25, grabbed £30 of confectionary from the The Old Bridge House Fudge Shop in Ambleside, after Mr Cook smashed through the window in ‘frustration’.

“The shop owner on that evening hears a loud bang outside the premises,” Lisa Hine, prosecuting, told South Lakeland Magistrates’ Court.

“Miss Taylor said she was sat on the windowsill with her boyfriend and they were arguing over something silly. He smashed the window with his elbow and afforded her access to items inside. She reached in and removed lollipops from the shop and Mr Cook reached in and removed fudge.”

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The couple, from Leicester, were holidaying in the area when the incident occurred, at around 9.45pm on April 21.

Susie Kavanagh, for Taylor, said the couple – who are recovering heroin addicts and battling depression – had been arguing over ‘a relationship’.

“Unfortunately Miss Taylor decided to have some alcohol on that Easter Monday,” said Ms Kavanagh. “Because she’s taking medication for depression and anxiety as well as being on prescription methodone it had an effect on her and led her to act in this manner.”

Rachel Broughton, for Cook, said he had ‘broken down in frustration’ during the course of the row.

“It wasn’t a pre-meditated incident,” she told the court. “He’s extremely apologetic, remorseful and embarrassed about his actions.”

They each pleaded guilty to burglary.

The court was told Taylor has previously been convicted of theft and heroin possession, while Cook has a ‘substantial record’ of assault, theft and burglary convictions, with a history of being ‘unwilling to address his offending behaviour’.

Taylor was fined £165 and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, as part of a supervised community order.

Cook was given an electronic tag and a curfew between 7pm and 6am, as well as a community order and a fines of £215.

Both fines include a total of £40 compensation for the sweet shop, which had to replace its front window following the incident.