Shoplifter’s egg-spensive spree lands her behind bars

A prolific shoplifter who stole hundreds of Cadbury’s Crème Eggs during a series of thefts across Cambridgeshire has been jailed.

Leah Harding, 37, targeted a number of stores in the county, including stealing 64 boxes of Crème Eggs from Barn Garden Centre on Gunthorpe Road on 13 February.

On the same day, she went on to Dobbies Garden Centre in Hampton, where she took bottles of spirits worth around £300.

Her offending continued in Eye, where she carried out three further thefts from a Co-op store, taking alcohol and cheese.

Harding, who has no fixed address, was arrested on 18 March.

She appeared at magistrates’ court on Friday 27 March, where she admitted five counts of shop theft and was sentenced to 41 weeks in prison. She was also ordered to pay £882.26 in compensation.

PC Rebecca Risebrow, from the Spree Offender Team, said:

“Harding brazenly stole from several retailers across Cambridgeshire with no thought of the impact of her actions.

“These were not isolated incidents, but persistent behaviour that caused financial loss and disruption to local businesses.

“We continue to work closely with retailers to identify offenders, share information and take positive action wherever possible.”