Rachel Lyon, 41, of Ringway Road in Belle Vale, was jailed for two years at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, July 8, after she deliberately breached a criminal behaviour order (CBO) by stealing from Farmfoods just five days after being spared prison. The court heard that Lyon had been handed a 20-month suspended sentence on June 2 for a series of shoplifting offences totalling £9,000, along with a CBO banning her from entering all Tesco stores in Merseyside and Cheshire, Sainsbury's in Woolton, Hunts Cross Shopping Centre, Cables Retail Park in Prescot, and Belle Vale Shopping Centre for two years.
Breach within days
Prosecutor Derryn Gibney told the court that on June 7, Lyon entered Farmfoods at Belle Vale Shopping Centre with a trolley, which she filled with eight boxes of washing tablets and a packet of chocolate cakes worth £121.39. She left without paying, in direct violation of the CBO. Lyon has 31 previous convictions for 78 offences, including 46 for theft-related matters.
Judge David Swinnerton, who had imposed the suspended sentence and CBO, expressed frustration during the hearing. He noted that Lyon had missed her induction interview, saying: 'That was a bad start, even before she went shoplifting.' He questioned whether her actions amounted to 'a kick in the face of the judge' or indicated that the order had not yet taken effect.
Defendant sought prison
Defence counsel Emily Kay explained that Lyon had struggled upon release, missing the cut-off for Universal Credit, finding her flat locks changed by an impersonator, and discovering significant damage inside. Kay said: 'In essence, she says that she struggles outside of custody. She committed the offences to be sent back to prison.' Lyon admitted using crack cocaine since early adulthood and had been sectioned the previous year. In custody, she was in a drug-free house and believed prison was the best place for her. Her family had re-entered her life on the condition she remained clean.
Lyon pleaded guilty to theft, breaching a CBO, and breaching a suspended sentence order. Appearing in the dock wearing a purple t-shirt reading 'Recovering in Styal', she was jailed for a total of two years.
Judge's remarks
Sentencing, Judge Swinnerton said: 'It's not so very long ago since you stood in front of me and I was persuaded to give you a chance. You are, in essence, saying to me, I can't do it. It's a shame. It's a pity. If that's the reality and you're being honest with yourself and me, then so be it. That gives me no choice but to activate the full 20 months. You breached the order in five days. You're sticking two fingers up at the court, really. You're doing so against the background of a poor criminal record.' He urged her to take help available and hoped she would succeed in drug rehabilitation upon release.
