A MOTHER and daughter described as professional shoplifters by a crown court judge have admitted their part in a scam which saw stolen clothes advertised on Facebook.

Dawn and Claire Bainbridge pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiring to steal between Tuesday, January 1, and Wednesday, June 4, this year during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court today (Wednesday, September 3).

A page on the social media website Facebook had been set up to sell the ill-gotten goods, along with a Paypal account, for making online payments, the court heard.

Prosecutor Neil Pallister said the police had recovered a large amount of stolen property from the pair’s home.

Judge John Evans said it was plainly appropriate to adjourn the case for pre-sentence reports to be prepared on the pair, to assist the court with sentencing in future.

The case will return to Newcastle Crown Court in the week beginning Monday, September 29.

The Bainbridges, both of The Crescent, West Rainton, County Durham, who appeared via a video link from Low Newton women’s prison near Durham City, were remanded in custody.

Dawn Bainbridge, who is in her late 40s, has also pleaded to stealing from a store at the Arnison Centre, in Pity Me, near Durham, and seven counts of theft from shops at the sprawling Meadowhall retail complex, near Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on Friday, February 28.

She stole clothes worth £428 from Marks and Spencer, £259.50 from Evans, £298 from Next, £200 from River Island and £170 from British Homes Stores, plus four purses worth a total of £338 from House of Fraser and towels and footwear worth £50 from a Disney store.

David Callan, mitigating, said Dawn Bainbridge admitted stealing but not selling the property.

Christopher Rose, representing Claire Bainbridge, who is in her early 20s, asked that a pre-sentence report be prepared on his client.

Last year, mother and daughter were given suspending jail sentences for stealing six boxes of toys from Smyths and 62 decorative candles from B&Q, both in Stockton.

At the time, Judge Simon Bourne-Arton described the pair as professional shoplifters.