A shoplifter spent part of the May bank holiday in the cells after being caught stealing meat.

Chantelle Austin, 32, was wanted by the magistrates’ court for failing to turn up to a hearing last week when, on Saturday (April 29) she was arrested for stealing meat from a Tesco Express.

Appearing before the justices on May Day, Austin, of Hart Place, Bicester, pleaded guilty to three counts of shoplifting.

READ MORE: Scales of justice results from Oxford Magistrates' Court

Together with another, she had stolen baby milk powder from the Co-op in Buckingham Road, Thame, on January 8.

When police caught up with her later in the day, they found a pink t-shirt in her Bag for Life shopping bag that Austin admitted stealing from Lidl.

Mitigating, John Berry asked the justices to adjourn for a pre-sentence report. His client was working with drug addiction service Turning Point.

The magistrates agreed, bailing Austin to return to court on May 30 for sentencing.

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