A WOMAN who helped herself to a mobile phone, cigarettes and cash from a handbag that had been left in the reception of a Chard council office said she had been desperate to ring a family member at the time.

Kimberley Wootton was caught on CCTV sitting down next to the handbag that had been left by its owner on a bench at the South Somerset District Council office.

She was then seen to take a pound coin out of a purse before replacing it, taking a few cigarettes and then tucking a mobile phone which was inside it into her waistband before walking out.

When she was later questioned by police she said that she had been in dire straits at the time and was desperate to ring a family member and took the phone on impulse.

The 55-year-old defendant, of Shelly Grove, Taunton, pleaded guilty to stealing a Nokia mobile phone, a quantity of cigarettes and a £1 coin belonging to Claudia Ribiero at Chard on September 8, 2015.

She also admitted being in breach of a conditional discharge imposed on April 24 for an offence of theft.

Christine Hart, prosecuting, said that the complainant went to the council offices in Chard and whilst there she went to make a phone call and left her handbag unattended on a bench in the reception area.

“The defendant also went there and was carrying a white plastic bag and sat on the bench next to the handbag and was seen on CCTV putting her hand in and removing the complainant’s purse,” she said.

“She took a pound coin out and put the purse back and then took a packet of cigarettes out and put it into her bag.

“She then put her hand in a third time and removed a mobile phone and tucked it into her waistband and got up.”

Wootton was spoken to by the police and produced the mobile phone which belonged to the complainant and admitted she was guilty.

She said that at the time of the incident she was in “dire straits” and had a number of personal issues and needed to make a phone call at a set time that day.

“She said she took the phone on impulse and had been very depressed and also took some money and cigarettes,” said Miss Hart.

“She went back into the office to put the phone back but the complainant was there asking if she had seen her phone and she felt ashamed and didn’t know what to say or do about it.”

Defending, Ray Peters said that the case had taken so long to come to court as Wootton had spent a lot of time in hospital.

“She was fighting a drug addiction and was in debt to a loan shark who was making considerable threats to her and was also subjected to acts of violence resulting in her being hospitalised for several months,” he said.

“She wanted to phone to contact a family member and had no money so saw the phone and took it, however when she went to make a call she discovered there was no credit on it.

“When she went to put it back the loser was present and she panicked and did not put it back but left and the next day the police attended her home and found it.”

The magistrates fined Wootton £80 and also ordered her to pay a £20 victim surcharge. No action was taken on the breach of conditional discharge.