A drug addict was given a suspended sentence in Magistrates' Court after admitting to stealing from a woman who gave her a lift in her car.

Jacqueline Dillas, 43, of Railway Trail, Southampton, pleaded guilty to stealing a woman's purse and cash valued at $230. She also admitted to stealing a bottle of beer valued at $2.10 from Arnold's Express Store in Pembroke on July 2.

The court heard that on May 5 Dillas was waiting at a bus stop when a car travelling east on Somerset Road offered her a ride to The Waterlot Inn in Southampton. Dillas managed to take the driver's purse from the back seat and, after emptying the contents, left the purse in the bushes nearby.

The purse was later found and returned to the owner and on May 29, Dillas was arrested at taken to Somerset Police Station for questioning.

While there she admitted to the offence and told officers she needed the money to buy drugs.

In court, Dillas admitted she was a drug addict and said: "I'm sorry for what I did."

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo, holding up a long list of previous convictions, asked: "Are you? How many times have you said that? Each time you come up here for these [offences] you said 'I'm sorry'- that looks like many times."

The magistrate gave Dillas one "last shot to get [her]self out of trouble" and sentenced her to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months — meaning if she commits another offence in the next year, her prison sentence will be activated.