Mum filled child's pushchair with stolen groceries and left Co-Op

legs and wheels of a baby stroller on an asphalt road during the day
-Credit:Getty Images


A mum used her child's pushchair to try to sneak £80 worth of groceries out of a Co-op store. Cadina Dragusin took the pushchair into the Co-op on London Road, Stoneygate, Leicester, and filled it with groceries including Edam cheese and Red Bull energy drink.

The 25-year-old walked out of the shop and was followed by an undercover shop security guard who had been watching her. She and another woman she was with were stopped and they were later arrested by Leicestershire Police.

At Leicester Magistrates' Court on Thursday (January 30) she pleaded guilty to theft from a shop. The court heard that her co-accused had already pleaded guilty to the same charge but was being dealt with separately because she had previous convictions for theft.

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Prosecutor Sukhy Basi told the court: "This defendant and her co-defendant went into the Co-op in London Road at about 5.30pm on January 8. Both were placing items into an empty pushchair.

"Both left the store without making a payment but a security guard, who was undercover, had seen both of them stealing the items. Outside the store both of them were detained."

Mohammed Hussain, representing Dragusin, of Queen's Street, Oadby, told the court: "She's been reluctant to give me full instructions but said she had dropped off her children and gone to the store and it was her intention to pay for the items.

"Either she or the lady she was with decided to go out of the shop. She said she attempted to hand the items in and say it was a mistake but the security guard said no and they were arrested. There was nothing sophisticated about it. They were seen on CCTV and arrested outside."

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Dragusin tried to steal £80 worth of groceries from the Co-op in London Road -Credit:Google

He said his client had always lived in the UK but struggled with English and hadn't had much education. He said: "Her family all speak Romanian. She had very limited schooling because her family moved around a lot."

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Mr Hussain said Dragusin was not working and receiving Universal Credit and child benefits for her children, totalling just over £1,000 a month. He said Dragusin was worried about being jailed for the offence.

Mr Hussain said: "The first thing she asked me today was if she was going to prison. It's something that's really been playing on her mind."

Dragusin was given a 12-month conditional discharge. The chair of the bench, Elizabeth Needham, told Dragusin: "Clearly you can't go taking things without paying. It's wrong. If you keep doing that you're going to get into more trouble."

Dragusin was also ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £26 victim surcharge.