A thief who threatened to smash a security guard’s face in with a brick begged magistrates to jail her.
Claire Brook said she felt that going to prison was the only way to rid her of her addiction to class A drugs.
The 36-year-old had used bags lined with foil to steal hundreds pounds worth of goods from stores.
She targeted Sainsbury’s in Brighouse three times and then picked up a brick and made threats when she was caught.
Brook pleaded guilty to five charges of shoplifting and one offence of threatening behaviour.
He solicitor Sonia Kidd said: “This lady says: ‘I want to go to prison, I need to go to prison. I feel that my drug addiction is spiralling out of control.’”
Kirklees magistrates heard that on February 13 a member of the public shopping inside the Mill Lane branch of Sainsbury’s noticed Brook acting suspiciously and told staff.
Vanessa Jones, prosecuting, said: “Brook ran out of the store and a security guard chased after her and she was located in a nearby restaurant.
“She ran off leaving a bag with the goods inside, was chased after and collapsed to the ground.
“The security guard got hold of her and she picked up a brick, held it in the air and said to her: ‘Let me go or I’ll smash you with it.’”
Fearful of being attacked, he grabbed hold of her by the arm to restrain her while another member of the public rushed to his assistance.
Brook had stolen goods worth £286 from the store, magistrates were told.
They heard details of other thefts from the same supermarket on February 11 and 12.
On the first occasion she entered equipped with a foil-lined Farmfoods bag to avoid detection by the store’s security alarms, but was detained as she stole £130 worth of spirits.
The following day Brook fled with a bag full of alcohol valued at £100 and was not stopped.
On November 22 she was caught stealing four boxes of Lego worth more than £300 from Toys R Us at Birstall Shopping Park.
Brook stashed these into a black Sports Direct bag, also lined with foil, and tested positive for the use of cocaine and opiates in her system following her arrest.
When she used a foil-lined Aldi bag to steal from B&M in Halifax on January 21, a security guard grabbed by her by the jacket but she managed to get away.
Mrs Kidd explained that the offences were committed by her client to fund her drug addiction.
She said: “Miss Brook needs to detoxify and it’s not help she feels she will be able to get fast enough in the community.
Magistrates jailed Brook, of Hanson Lane in Halifax, for 14 weeks.
