AN alcoholic thief who was short of cash hid bottles of Fairtrade wine in her handbag, a court heard.

Police were called to the Co-op in Sussex Square on November 23 after Emma Lloyd refused to give her details to the security guard who had stopped her, prosecutor Kate Prince told Swindon magistrates.

Lloyd, 28, of no fixed address, only handed over the two bottles and can of cider, valued together at £13 after police officers arrived.

Mark Glendenning, defending, said Lloyd was alcohol dependent. “On that day she had very little money and she needed to drink.”

He added that the main cause of her problems was an abusive relationship with a man who was currently serving a prison sentence.

The magistrates fined her £110 and ordered her to pay £40 towards the cost of her prosecution and £30 towards victim services.