An ex-criminology lecturer who styles herself as the 'UK's poshest thief' has avoided prison after four-figure theft sprees which included stealing Le Creuset cookware.
Upmarket thieves Pauline Al Said and her husband Mark Wheatcroft also seized premium steaks, wine and boutique gin.
They have now been fined £2,500 between them for the daylight raids on a garden centre and a branch of Marks and Spencer.
Prosecutors did not appear in court ahead of the punishments being handed down.
The judge ruling on their fate described how shoplifters walking out of supermarkets with 'full trolley loads' was becoming 'more and more common' with the public calling for 'appropriate sentences'.
