A JUDGE told a heroin addict she had little chance of kicking her drugs habit – unless she ditched her addict boyfriend.

Faye Lacey, aged 31, of Trinity Close, Evesham, admitted thefts to fund her addiction to the class A drug when she appeared before district judge Nigel Cadbury at Worcester Magistrates Court.

Lacey stole a large quantity of fragrances worth £451.59 from Boots in Evesham on November 9, fragrances worth £221.49 from the same store on November 11 and eight bottles of spirits worth £160 belonging to the town’s Coop on November 17.

Jackie Rogers, prosecuting, said Lacey’s co-accused, her partner, had already been jailed for his part in the Boots thefts, captured on CCTV.

Mrs Rogers said: “She had a big heroin addiction and stole to support her addiction. She said the male involved was her boyfriend and he was also a heroin addict.”

Her boyfriend, who was not named during the hearing, was earlier given an immediate custodial sentence (three consecutive 28 day prison sentences).

Chris Hilton, defending Lacey, asked the judge to give her credit for her early guilty plea and told him she had already spent a week in custody, the equivalent of a two week prison sentence.

He said her partner, who had been jailed, had an extensive criminal record for shoplifting but she had “a much lesser record”.

However, she had been to prison twice before, he said.

Lacey had moved from Torquay to Evesham to “start afresh” Mr Hilton told the court.

Speaking about her chances of giving up the drug, Mr Cadbury said: “I’m afraid I consider your chances of success are not great when you continue to be with someone who also has a heroin problem and a much more serious criminal record then yourself.”

He said despite not living in the area long the couple got “well into the local criminal fraternity quickly” and even had a shopping list of items they were supposed to steal.

He gave her a 64 day prison sentence, suspended for 12 months (21 days for each of the three offences to be served consecutively), placed her under supervision for 12 months and ordered her to pay £672 in compensation to Boots.

He also ordered her to complete a six months drug rehabilitation requirement.