A SOUTH Cumbria mum has been jailed by a judge who concluded her repeated thefts from shops "can't go on".

Carolyn Helen Ruth Brosnan, 45, appeared before Judge Peter Davies at Carlisle Crown Court earlier this week - as she had done twice last year.

Last May, Judge Davies heard that on five separate occasions Brosnan had stolen £413.50 worth of goods - including champagne and spirits - from Windermere's Booths store.

The judge held off passing sentence initially, giving the mother-of-one time to seek help for drugs misuse. And last July, she was handed a suspended prison term for the shoplifting spree, and for breaching two previous suspended sentences.

In addition Brosnan received a rehabilitation requirement and banned from visiting Booths stores for two years.

But during 2018, she returned to crime. In April she stole more than £200 worth of property from Kendal's TK Maxx store. Then she committed further thefts at Lancaster's Boots shop, stealing a £62 perfume gift set on June 14, and then £12 worth of gift cards on September 7.

That put her in breach of the earlier suspended sentence, earning her another meeting with Judge Davies on Tuesday.

In mitigation Claire Larton gave a court order progress update on Brosnan - previously of Windermere but now homeless. During the past year, she had attended appointments, continued to comply and "engaged well" with the probation service despite "struggling with a drug dependency".

"She is trying and she is working very hard when she has a considerable number of difficulties and hurdles to overcome," said Ms Larton. "She just needs help. She recognises she can't carry on like this.

"She needs to stop her drugs misuse. She says, quite simply: 'I am sick of living like this'."
Judge Davies gave Brosnan an immediate three-month prison sentence, saying of her offending: "This can't go on."

Speaking of the chance he gave her during 2017, he stated: "I gave you a suspended sentence in order to assist you with the grave hope that you would turn away from offending.
"Unfortunately, that wasn't to be."