A 42-year-old Stoke-on-Trent woman was given an 18-month community order at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after breaking into a neighbour’s home over missing cannabis.[1] The court heard that she and the householder were both at the funeral and wake on 8 April 2025, and that she went to his house that evening after drinking at the wake.[1]
The prosecutor said she returned, got in through the back door and was drunk.[1] The prosecutor said she took two bicycles, fell and smashed a fish tank, and that replacing the tank cost £300 and the water damage to the floor £400.[1] She was arrested and interviewed and said she meant to take the bicycles only temporarily and that the damage was accidental.[1]
The householder’s cannabis did not come into the case as a charge or a seized quantity; the only offence was burglary.[1] Her lawyer said she had shown “fulsome remorse” to the probation service and was trying to cut down on drugs and alcohol with structured help.[1]
The community order carries a probation requirement and 60 hours of unpaid work, and her progress is to be reviewed at a hearing on 10 December.[1] The judge also made a two-year restraining order barring her from contacting the householder and his family or going to their address.[1] The judge said her alcohol and cannabis use had blighted her life and that the offence did not cross the custody threshold.[1]
