A PENSIONER described herself as “ashamed and embarrassed” after she stole a wallet from a supermarket that had almost £500 in cash inside – and then used some of it to buy items from the store for herself.

Miroslawa Suchomska, 63, took the wallet, belonging to Graham Guilt, when she saw it lying on top of a counter in Welshpool’s Morrisons store on February 15 this year.

Welshpool Magistrates’ Court heard this week how Mr Guilt had been to the supermarket to have breakfast there. He had left his wallet at the kiosk desk, with it and the £480 contained inside it picked up by the defendant who then went on to use it buy items from the store.

Magistrates heard on Tuesday, June 14, that Mr Guilt had the cash in his wallet as he had been intending to pay his water bill that day.

Suchomska, of Oldford Rise, Welshpool, admitted a charge of theft at Tuesday’s hearing. Prosecutor Helen Tench said: “The complainant had attended Morrisons to have breakfast.

“He went to the counter and left his wallet on the kiosk desk; he had a large amount of cash in the wallet as he had intended to pay his water bill that day.

“The CCTV was looked at and PCSO Neville identified the defendant as the person who picked up the wallet; she then went on to make purchases and left the store.”

Ms Tench said the defendant had no previous convictions and only one previous caution, which is not a relevant offence.

Rob Hanratty, acting for Suchomska, said: “She didn’t think she’d ever be caught for such an offence as this. She is ashamed and embarrassed.

“She was fully cooperative with the police and has entered an early guilty plea. As unpleasant an offence as it sounds like, there was no pre-planning. She saw the wallet, she didn’t know who it belonged to. She saw it there, picked it up and decided to keep the contents.

“She has a pension from Poland of about £300 a month, as well as about £270 from a part-time job. It will take her some time to pay it back.”

Magistrates issued Suchomska with a 12-month conditional discharge – meaning that she will not be punished for this offence if she remains out of trouble for the next year.

They did order her to pay £480 compensation to Mr Guilt and she must also pay £85 costs and a £22 surcharge.