Lancashire mum Leanne Mason banned from every shop in town after shoplifting spree to buy drugs
A serial shoplifter has been banned from every store in a Lancashire town and across three retail parks.
Preston Crown Court heard Leanne Mason went on a shoplifting spree to raise cash to buy drugs.
The 34-year-old mother-of-two also skipped a court hearing and went on the run for five months during which her life was blighted by substance abuse.
Mason, a former bar manager, pleaded guilty to eight charges of stealing from shops and was jailed for a total of 14 months.
She also admitted theft and aggravated vehicle taking after an incident where she and another woman stole property from a house and drove off in the occupant’s car. They were only apprehended after a police chase.
Judge Guy Mathieson was told Mason had a lengthy criminal record involving offences of theft, burglary, robbery and violent crime.
The prosecution said Mason and a female accomplice had become “a constant threat” to the East Lancashire business community with their shoplifting activities.
A police officer involved in the case said their actions had made “an impact on local businesses during difficult times.”
The judge made an order barring her from entering any shop on three retail parks in the Blackburn area – the Townsmoor in Great Bolton Street, the Royal in Bolton Road and the Blackburn Shopping Park in Audley Street – for the next two years.
He also prohibited her from visiting any shop in the town of Colne where she had stolen goods during a short time living there.
Mason, of Redearth Road in Darwen, was said to have committed the shoplifting offences between November 2023 and March this year. The theft and aggravated vehicle taking happened in March 2022.
The court was told she and another woman turned up at the home of an acquaintance at 5am one day. The accomplice became violent with the woman and when the pair left the house they took two iPads, two Apple Watches, make-up and a £20 note. They also took the keys to the occupant’s Audi A3 car and drove off in it.
The woman called 999 and police gave chase, with the Audi failing to stop on multiple occasions. When it was eventually pulled over Mason had a £20 note tucked down her bra. The car suffered minor damage in the chase.
In an impact statement read in court the victim said she was so worried about getting another visit that she had moved her children out of the house to their father’s home for safety reasons. She was constantly looking over her shoulder.
Mason was bailed to appear in court in November 2023 on the theft and vehicle taking charges but failed to attend and went missing for around five months the judge was told.
Mason’s barrister Eleanor Watson said her client had no objection to the imposition of a criminal behaviour order which banned her from all shops in Colne and on the three retail parks in Blackburn.
She said Mason had not played the leading role in the theft from the house, it had been her accomplice who had used force on the woman occupant and she had urged her to stop it.
She added that Mason’s failure to surrender to bail for the court appearance had not been a deliberate attempt to evade justice.
“She didn’t know what she was doing, she wasn’t aware of the consequences because of her drug taking. She wasn’t aware of the impact it was having on people.”
Miss Watson said that Mason had been in custody on remand for several months and had used that time to become drug free. She had also completed numerous courses on offer in prison in an attempt to turn her life around.
“Her time in custody has been well-spent by passing all the courses available to her. It shows how serious she has taken her situation and she is determined to keep her life on track.
“She has changed. She knows that if she is back here (in court) she will go to prison. She assures me she will not be back here.”
Judge Mathieson told Mason that the last time she had appeared before him she was “in a mess.” He added: “That was a sad state of affairs. That is as low as I hope you will go.”
Mason presented the judge with 14 certificates she had earned on courses while in prison. He said: “They are impressive. Your hopes for the future are impressive.”
He felt a custodial sentence was important because of the seriousness of the offences, but he said he would make it as short as possible to allow her to restart her life in a positive way. Because of the amount of time she had already spent in custody on remand, she could be freed within weeks.
“Get that done,” he told her. “Build on what you have shown me. Look forward not back for once.
“You know that if you go back to your old ways you are going to go back to prison and undo everything you have done so far. I don’t want to see you do that.
“I don’t want to see you again. I hope you have turned the corner. So good luck.”
The judge also disqualified her from driving for 16 months for the aggravated vehicle taking.