A WOMAN convicted of more than 100 offences was given a suspended sentence for stealing groceries - while she was on licence for a drug dealing offence.

Colleen Dresser, 38, who is claiming job seekers allowance, had spent a year in prison for supplying heroin in 2010 and had been released on licence when she committed the offences in January and February of this year.

In March 2010 she had sold wraps containing the drug to undercover police officers on six occasions in Darlington town centre.

She was caught shop-lifting a gammon steak and groceries from two supermarkets in the town.

The mother of two pleaded guilty to the two counts of theft at Darlington Magistrates Court yesterday (march1).

David Maddison, prosecuting, said: “On January 23 two individuals were seen entering the Ken Warne store where one of the women, the defendant, then stole goods to the value of £30.

“On February 14 at the Co-Operative store they both entered and the defendant was seen leaving with a gammon steak, to the value of £40.”

He added “The defendant pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”

Robert Willoughby, in mitigation, said Dresser had stolen the items to sell on as she was in financial difficulty.

“She wanted to steal the meat to sell so she could pay her bills,” he said.

However he told the court Dresser had a history of offences, caused by her drug addiction.

He said: “She has been a prolific offender, between 1996 and 2006 she committed over 100 offences.

“She had a heroin addiction for a number of years and she still is on a daily dose of 70 millilitres of Methadone a day.”

Mr Willoughby said she managed to hold down a job as a Telesales operative in recent years, but was now unemployed.

Dresser, who lives on Mowden Terrace, Darlington attended the court with her boyfriend.

She was given a suspended sentence order of 16 weeks, which she will serve if she commits another offence in the next 12 months.

She was also given a six month supervision order and will serve the rest of her six month licence on medium supervision, with eight hours of contact a week. In addition, she was ordered to pay £70 compensation to the supermarkets and £30 in court costs.