Theft of £3.99 wine costs Hartlepool woman £130

Angela Queen was given the correct date for her hearing but misread it, Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecutor Andrea Pitt said Queen was due to be dealt with for trying to steal a £3.99 bottle of wine from Home Bargains in Hartlepool.

Queen, 35, of Borrowdale Street, Hartlepool, admitted theft on December 29, and admitted failing to turn up at court when required to do so.

Sheila Ramshaw, defending, said in mitigation: “This was an impulse theft, not something she does regularly.”

The bench ordered Queen to pay £130 in fines and costs.

The money will be deducted from her benefits at £5 a week.