A PROLIFIC shoplifter banned from every shop in Barrow will spend Christmas behind bars after being convicted of stealing again.

Nicola Jayne Marie Duke, 38, was sentenced to 80 days in prison by a court after pilfering items worth £200 from a card shop in her latest crime spree.

South Cumbria Magistrates Court was told she stole seven scented candles and two snow globes from the Clinton Cards shop in Portland Walk.

Previous convictions led district judge Gerard Chalk to hand Duke the prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to the offence.

She was previously banned from town centre shops under a criminal behaviour order received when she appeared in court in November last year.

Duke was given the three-year order after she stole from the Debenhams in Portland Walk.

At the time Duke, of Mill Bank, Barrow was sentenced to 90 days in prison.

She served the first 45 days straight away with the second half of the sentence suspended for 12 months.

As well as all shops in the town centre Duke was banned from Walney Road Retail Park.

Her latest conviction adds to the list of others she has received at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court.

In July she was given a community order and forced to wear an electronic tag after she stole an ice cream worth £1.80 from Ormsgill convenience store.

And in March she was jailed for 20 weeks after stealing perfume worth £230 from Asda on January 18. At the time she was still within the limit of her suspended sentence.

For stealing from the Clinton Cards shop, she was forced to pay compensation of £213 on top of the jail term.

Duke also pleaded guilty to breaking the order not to enter the shops and was handed another 80-day sentence, to be served concurrently.

Cllr Dave Pidduck, leader of Barrow Council warned repeated shoplifting could cause “mayhem” for businesses.

He said: “I feel sorry for her that she will be in prison over Christmas, which is a special time, but I support the police in clamping down on shoplifting.

"A one-woman crime wave can cause mayhem for our retailers.”

A police spokesman said: “Our officers work closely with retailers – particularly in the lead up to Christmas - to ensure that those who seek to prey on local businesses are caught and brought to account.

"Stringent Shopwatch schemes operate throughout the county and help ensure businesses can work together and with partners such as the police to tackle shop thefts.

“Where appropriate we will also consider applying to the courts for criminal behaviour orders which put strict conditions on offenders and can result in a prison term of up to five years if those conditions are broken.”