Shameless Low Fell thief took young daughter shoplifting and used pram to steal goods
by Sara Nichol · ChronicleLiveA shameless thief took her young daughter shoplifting and used a pram to transport stolen goods during a five-month crime spree.
Drug and alcohol addict Zoe Cowan helped herself to nearly £2,000-worth of items, mainly designer handbags, when she targeted five stores. A court heard that, on one occasion, the 44-year-old used a push chair to carry her loot, while on another she had her child in tow.
Cowan, of Ulverston Gardens, in Low Fell, also used a fire exit to flee from one shop and ran through security alarms while escaping another, prosecutors said. But the hapless crook was easily recognised from CCTV and has now pleaded guilty to five shop thefts.
Giving her a 15-month community order, with a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement, District Judge Paul Currer said: "It seems to me that you have been offending to manage your drug habit, which is out of control.
"You have committed serious offences, stealing high-value goods. You have gone into the shops using a pushchair and, sometimes, your daughter was there. That shows how low you have sunk."
Newcastle Magistrates' Court heard that Cowan first went into TK Maxx, in Byker, on November 14 last year and set-off the security alarms while making-off with £489-worth of handbags. She was later stopped by the police and the goods were recovered.
Next, the thief again targeted TK Maxx, in Team Valley, this time on March 7 this year. Paul Coulson, prosecuting, said: "The offence is captured on CCTV. At 2.50pm, the defendant is seen pushing a pram around TK Maxx.
"She's observed to be picking up a number of handbags from displays and placing them in the pushchair with no intention of paying for the items. The value is £249.95."
The court was told that Cowan then stole £1,000-worth of handbags, again from TK Maxx but this time in the Metrocentre, on March 8, and £85.65-worth of goods from B & M Bargains, in Wallsend, on March 19, when she made-off through a fire exit. Finally, Cowan took £100-worth of laundry products from Tesco Express, on Carr Hill Road, Gateshead, on April 18.
Shaun McFall, defending, said Cowan had 12 offences on her record but only first appeared before a court in 2022. He added: "Something has triggered this, there are a number of issues. There's alcohol dependency and drugs dependency."
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