A HEREFORDSHIRE burglar has avoided being sent straight to prison due to her addiction problems.

Jennifer Chandler appeared before magistrates in Hereford for sentencing after she was convicted of one count of burglary of a dwelling, one of driving without insurance, one of failing to surrender to bail, one of possessing a controlled class A drug, and one of failing to provide a specimen for analysis at earlier hearings.

The court heard from prosecutor Mark Hambling that the 41-year-old had been caught driving a Fiat Punto without insurance on the A456 at Bewdley on June 24.

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She had also been found to be in possession of a quantity of class A controlled drug cocaine and had failed to provide a specimen of urine to police when required to do during the course of an investigation as to whether she had committed an offence on the same date.

She had further entered a home in Craven Arms, Shropshire, on July 27, stealing a Ford Focus worth £1,000.

The court heard that Chandler, who was represented at the hearing by defence solicitor Emma Thorne, had also failed without reasonable cause to surrender to custody at Hereford's magistrates court on September 21 having been released on bail in criminal proceedings by magistrates in Worcester on September 5.

Magistrates said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified, but that it would be unjust to send her to prison due to her health and addiction issues, which would not be addressed in custody.

Chandler, of Ridgemoor Road, Leominster, was handed a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and disqualified from driving for 12 months.