A YOUNG mum who had already had one child taken into care was pressured into shoplifting by people who threatened to report her to social services, a court was told.
Blackburn magistrates heard that Sarah Robinson feared having her baby taken from her and "foolishly" succumbed to threats instead of reporting them to the authorities.
Robinson, 21, of Barley Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to two charges of shoplifting and was jailed for a total of 90 days after the magistrates heard she was in breach of a conditional discharge imposed for shoplifting in February and had been dealt with for similar offences in August.
Michael Blacklidge, defending, said his client had not had an easy life and that since the birth of her second child in January her partner had been sent to prison.
"She found herself under some pressure to commit these offences," said Mr Blacklidge. "The people responsible threatened to tell Social Services she was abusing her child if she didn't do as they asked."
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