A woman has been banned from every Sainsbury’s in England, after she admitted trying to steal £1,776-worth of cosmetics from the Heyford Hill superstore.

Appearing before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (February 1), Mariana Cristea, 23, of Lynton Road, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to theft. She had no previous convictions, prosecutor Ann Sawyer-Brandish said.

The justices heard that she went into the Sainsbury’s shop near Littlemore on the evening of Monday, January 30.

The prosecutor said: “She placed a number of cosmetic items into a bag. She was seen and she was followed when she left the store. She hadn’t paid for the items and the items were all recovered.”

Following her arrest she was apologetic to the police, the court heard.

Defending, Richard Demczak said there were ‘underlying issues going on’, suggesting she was being exploited.

He asked the bench to adjourn sentencing and send the case to Mansfield Magistrates’ Court, where Cristea was due to appear later this month.

The Oxford magistrates released Cristea on conditional bail. She has two conditions: not to enter Oxfordshire and not to enter any Sainsbury’s in the country.

She is due before the magistrates’ court in Mansfield on February 21.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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