A recovering junkie with more than 200 previous convictions stole from a Canterbury shop the day before she gave birth to a drug-addicted baby.

City magistrates heard jobless Joanne Jones, 35, took chocolate and magazines from WHSmith in St George's Street on January 13.

The next day she gave birth to her son Albie, who is in the care of social services and was born addicted to the heroin substitute methadone.

When she appeared in court, Jones, of the Porchlight Hostel in Whitstable Road, admitted theft of items from WHSmith worth £13.53.

She also admitted breaching the terms of a suspended prison sentence and a community order.

But she was not jailed and was instead allowed to continue her drug rehab.

Neil Sweeney, prosecuting, said the theft happened on the afternoon of January 13 when Jones was seen in the shop putting the magazines and chocolate in a bag and leaving without paying.

She was stopped by staff and taken back to the shop before trying to run off despite being heavily pregnant.

Inside the shop, Jones ate the chocolate while waiting for the police.

Mr Sweeney added that Jones has 204 previous convictions of which 156 are for theft. Her record stretches back to 1992.

Magistrates ordered Jones wear an electronic tag for the next eight weeks and made her subject to a curfew between 7pm and 7am.

The suspended prison sentence was allowed to continue and Jones must take part in specified activities with a mentor. She must also pay WHSmith £1.82 compensation for the eaten chocolate and costs of £135.

Patrick Cuffe, for Jones, described her as having an unenviable record of offending and one which showed that her time spent in prison had not brought a stop to her criminal behaviour.

"she has been in the women's prison at bronzefield so many times that she almost has a season ticket for it…” – patrick cuffe, defending

He said she had not been charged immediately after the theft because she was pregnant and then gave birth to Albie on January 14.

"Most of her offending was done to fund a drug-taking lifestyle, but she is now engaging with counsellors and has managed to reduce her methadone prescription," Mr Cuffe told the court.

"For the first time ever there is just a glimmer of light for Joanne Jones. The baby had to stay in hospital as he had to be detoxified from the methadone. Social services are now trying to take the child away from her."

Jones is desperate to keep her son, Mr Cuffe said, and is challenging social services' decision. If she went to prison, he added, she would lose her accommodation and her child.

"All that progress she has made would be wasted," Mr Cuffe said.

"She has been in the women's prison at Bronzefield so many times that she almost has a season ticket for it.

"The way forward is rehabilitation and not sending her back to custody.

"She is also extremely concerned about keeping her baby, who is 10 weeks old now."

Mr Cuffe added that this was the longest period in her adult life that she had been free of illegal drugs.