A SERIAL thief has avoided an immediate prison sentence but been banned from all retail stores in Christchurch following a spate of crimes.

Lisa Marie Sanders, aged 32, was convicted for 19 theft offences and two counts of fraudulent use of a bank card that did not belong to her.

Sanders, whose address was given as Edward Road, Christchurch, stole meat, cheese, wine, beer and cider from various retailers, including Tesco, M&S, Spar and BP.

She also took £113 in clothing from Matalan and £500 in makeup from Boots.

Appearing at Poole Magistrates’ Court on November 26, Sanders admitted all of the offences and was committed to prison for eight weeks, suspended for 12 months.

The bench ordered her to have treatment for drug dependency for six months and complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

Prosecutors also secured a criminal behaviour order from the courts which barred Sanders from entering any retail establishment in the borough of Christchurch for two years.

The court heard that Sanders's spree of offending dated back to December last year when she stole the clothing from the Matalan store at Meteor Shopping Park.

In April she snatched four bottles of wine worth £30 from a BP garage.

The following month meat, cheese and wine were taken during incidents at Spar, M&S and Tesco, as well as the makeup theft at Boots in the town centre.

Throughout June the defendant completed six thefts at BP and M&S in Somerford Road and Spar Store in Saulfland Place. She also twice used a bank card, which was not hers, to buy £77.22 of items.

The final two thefts took place in July and August, respectively, with three boxes of Thatchers cider taken from Spar and £60 of steaks from M&S.

Sanders admitted to magistrates that she had committed offences while subject to conditional discharge order which had been made in February for theft offences.