A ‘PROLIFIC’ thief with a drug habit bit two supermarket workers who were trying to stop her shoplifting, inflicting wounds.

Leanne Croke-Loveridge of Newtown Road, Ronkswood admitted biting both Worcester Tesco employees when she appeared at Worcester Crown Court.

The 36-year-old admitted two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at the Tesco in Warndon Villages on October 23 last year and theft of £799 of groceries on the same date.

Martin Liddiard, prosecuting, said: “Her offending history has been, hitherto, pretty prolific.”

In a previous hearing at magistrates court, Ralph Robyns-Landricombe, prosecuting, said the two members of staff suffered the injuries while attempting to detain the defendant. He said: “The case concerns the defendant having bitten two members of staff in Tesco as a result of their attempts to detain her taking a trolley full of items.”

One of the victims is said to have suffered deep abrasions as a result of the bite, the other superficial abrasions.

Michael Aspinall, defending, said his client had a history of theft and drug addictions. Since the offences she had served a prison sentence for other matters and had been placed on post release supervision.

Mr Aspinall applied for an adjournment to allow Croke-Loveridge to be interviewed by the probation service and a pre-sentence report prepared.

He added: “She has attempted to turn her life around. She has reduced her use of drugs. It would be most useful to me have some medical information to put before the court about her health.”

A probation officer confirmed she had been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison on June 20 this year. We reported how she targeted Waitrose in London Road, Worcester last year, carrying out six thefts.

On June 27 last year she stole alcohol worth £225 from the supermarket. On July 10 last year she stole alcohol worth £73. She returned on July 13 when she stole plant pots worth £250, and on July 14 when she stole alcohol worth £213.98. On July 20 she stole alcohol worth £153, and on August 30, alcohol worth £84.

Judge Martin Jackson adjourned the case until October 20 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. He granted the defendant unconditional bail but told her that his decision to adjourn the sentence ‘isn’t a promise as to what sort of sentence you will receive on the next occasion’.