A single mother who previously avoided jail for a homophobic attack has been spared prison once more after stealing £16,000 worth of goods from an Asda store. Louise Whelan, 29, of Leasowe, Wirral, admitted three counts of theft alongside accomplice Carla Bratkowski, 33, at Liverpool Crown Court.
The pair were caught on CCTV stealing cosmetics and Yankee candles from the Grange Road branch in Birkenhead on three occasions in October. On October 24, Bratkowski filled a basket with £45 of items, hid them in changing rooms, and met Whelan outside. They escaped in a silver Mercedes driven by Whelan. The following day, they stole £106 of goods, and on October 28, a security manager spotted them attempting to take £146 of merchandise.
Whelan was already subject to a suspended nine-week jail sentence for a previous offence, where she and her sisters shouted homophobic abuse and swung a hammer at a man. That sentence was imposed in July but suspended due to the impact on her children. Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, noted Whelan's laughter in court and questioned her attitude, but ultimately decided against immediate custody.
Defence lawyer Anna Duke argued that Whelan's two daughters, aged eight and ten, suffer from ADHD and dyspraxia, and no family members could care for them if she were jailed. She also claimed Whelan's shoplifting was linked to kleptomania and OCD, not financial need. The judge imposed a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation days, warning Whelan that future breaches would lead to prison.
Whelan has 13 previous convictions for 20 offences, including multiple shoplifting and racially aggravated harassment. Bratkowski received a community order with 15 rehabilitation days and was ordered to pay £75 compensation and £85 costs.
