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Appearing side by side in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court on Saturday, 43-year-old Linda McAuley and Steven Crossett, 38, confirmed their identities and that they understood the charges against them. McAuley, from Seaview Close and Crossett, from Albany Place, are jointly charged on five counts of theft from various shops including Sports Direct, Boots, B&M, Tesco and Gordon’s Chemist, in July and October this year. The charges they jointly face amount to goods worth £1,364 and on further separate charges, alleged to have been committed on the same day in Gordon’s Chemists, Crossett allegedly stole £125 of make up while McCauley is alleged to have stolen make up and brushes worth £175. Giving evidence, a police officer told the court she believed she could connect the defendants to the charges, adding that police were objecting to bail due to concerns about the pair committing further offences. The court heard how the “unsophisticated thefts” amounted to McAuley and Crossett walking into the various stores, lifting items such as clothes, Lego and make up, putting them in a bag and simply walking out. The officer added “they admit committing the offences together” and further that Crossett “admits that he stole to feed his drug habit…and we believe it’s the same for her”. In relation to McAuley, she revealed the 43-year-old is on probation for theft relating to £2,000 of Victoria’s Secret PJs, she has previously breached bail conditions and there have also been warrants issued for her arrest. Crossett, the court heard, has been subject to arrest warrants in the past. Appearing on behalf of both defendants, defence counsel Sean O’Hare conceded that McAuley “has a strong relationship with crack cocaine…and she admits herself, that she is in a bad place.” He added however, that she is about to start on a drug treatment programme. “These are not sophisticated thefts,” the barrister told District Judge George Conner, “there’s no attempt to cover or mask their faces…there was no way whatsoever that they were not going to be caught.” He also conceded that “their relationship is not particularly mutually supportive…together these two defendants are a recipe for disaster,” but Mr O’Hare said that if granted bail, they could be excluded from being in contact with each other. Judge Conner said that unless a support package could be put in place with a family member to act as surety, “there’s far too high a risk of reoffending.” McAuley and Crossett were both remanded in custody to appear again on 7 November.
