Cleveland ex-offender says no punishment would have stopped her

Although she sometimes used shoplifting to support her addiction, Smith said she often stole everyday essentials after spending her money on cocaine.

“I’d spend all my money on my drugs and then I’d have nothing to live on until I got paid next,” she said.

Smith said the fear of being caught was never enough to break the cycle she found herself trapped in.

“When you’ve got no choice and you think, ‘How am I going to live for the month?’, you don’t really think at the time. You’re just thinking of what you need to do.”

Asked whether she would have carried on offending despite tougher penalties, she said: “Probably, yeah, because it’s just what you’ve got to do at the time to get through in your life.”

Smith said she felt “ashamed”, “embarrassed” and guilty about her actions and regretted failing to consider the effect they may have had on shop workers.