A mother of five fled the scene of a shoplifting incident leaving her three-month-old baby in the back of her vehicle.
Margaret Doherty appeared at Letterkenny District Court in Co Donegal yesterday on a series of theft charges.
The court heard that eight bench warrants had been issued to locate Ms Doherty over the past six years.
Ms Doherty (34), Ballymacool Gardens, Letterkenny, stole goods including computers games, clothing, groceries and a child’s buggy, over a six-week period beginning January 2005.
The court heard how she was caught stealing €161 of groceries at Gormley’s supermarket on January 7th, 2005.
When she was caught she ran from the shop accompanied by her three children, but left her infant in a four-wheel drive vehicle in the shop’s car park.
Solicitor Patsy Gallagher said his client had been through a lot and that her brother had been murdered in England.
Judge Paul Kelly fined her €550 and imposed a suspended jail sentence of nine months.