A one-woman crimewave given a number of chances to stay out of prison is now behind bars following a prolific seven-month campaign of offending.

Mum-of-three Diana Mikova had narrowly avoided jail last year after being convicted of a series of thefts to fund her drug habit - including stealing a friend’s iPhone.

But the 27-year-old soon returned to her old ways, and between March and October this year committed 20 separate offences.

During the crime spree, she stole from shops, assaulted a police officer, swiped an electric bike worth £2,500 and raided an Airbnb she had previously stayed at by using a key code to gain access.

It left magistrates with little choice but to jail the opportunist thief, who cried as she learned her fate at Margate Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

It was her latest appearance in the dock, having last February - while pregnant with her third child - been handed a 26-week suspended prison sentence for a number of theft-related offences.

On that occasion, District Judge Justin Barron spared Mikova immediate custody in an effort to help her beat her heroin addiction, warning her: "Be aware you've had these chances.”

But this week her failure to stay out of trouble was laid bare as she appeared via videolink at the Thanet court to be sentenced for her most recent crimes - some of them carried out while on bail.

The first took place on March 9 this year, when she stole an electric bicycle from the communal hallway of flats she had been staying at in New Cross Street, Margate, and sold it to buy drugs.

Prosecutor Julie Farbrace said the bike had been a Christmas present for Alfie Green, who had only moved into the accommodation seven weeks before.

“He had no transport [after it had been stolen], and he used it to go to boxing sessions to help with mental health and he was left out of pocket,” she said.

The following month, Mikova booked a stay at an Airbnb in Northdown Road, Cliftonville, before returning four days later to burgle the property.

“She used the code to unlock the lock box,” Mrs Farbrace said.

“She was seen on Ring doorbell footage by the owner, who started talking to her through the device, and she ran off down the stairs with items in her hand. They were worth about £150.”

On May 18, Mikova assaulted a police officer who knew she was wanted in connection with a number of offences and confronted her.

“She became aggressive and kicked out at the officer’s leg,” the prosecutor explained.

“She apologised after and said she was sorry and that she doesn’t normally do that.”

The court was told there were two thefts from vehicles, with Mikova stealing a subwoofer and rachets from one in April, and a unique £185 puffer jacket from another in June.

On October 2, she was challenged as she was seen looking into the boot of a car.

The owner, Chelsea Ward, took hold of the thief and called police, but Mikova pulled her hair and ran away.

“Nothing was taken but the woman was assaulted,” Mrs Farbrace said. “There was no injury, but it would have been painful.”

The prosecutor told how Mikova was also convicted of 12 counts of shoplifting, detailing how she stole at least £900 worth of items from stores including Tesco, Morrisons and Boots.

These included toiletries, cosmetics, baby formula and dishwasher tablets.

Mikova was arrested after the assault on Ms Ward and remanded in custody on October 3.

“The sheer number of offences passes the custody threshold,” Mrs Farbrace said.

She added she was making an application for a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) - an order used to enforce conditions to prevent anti-social behaviour, such as banning shoplifters from certain stores.

Defending, Martin Hewitt said Mikova first came to the UK to live with her family in 1997 and committed her first offence in 2018 after becoming addicted to heroin.

He added: “The bike theft is the standout offence. It was just there in the hallway and it was electric, so of high value, and she just wheeled it away and sold it on to feed her drug habit.

“The Airbnb burglary - it was a non-dwelling and she knew the code for the padlock and took the items. The assault on the emergency worker, there was no injury.”

Mr Hewitt said Mikova, whose address was given as her parents’ home in Sandhurst Place, Margate, had been held in prison for 62 days and was now clean from drugs.

“She could be given a high-level community order but her previous convictions are an aggravating feature and she was on bail for some of the offences,” he said.

“She’s a different person now; prison has worked, she’s a new person health-wise.”

The bench was also told Mikova had been able to make an application for housing with Thanet District Council and wants to find a job and stay clean.

Mikova pleaded guilty to 12 counts of shoplifting, theft of a pedal cycle, burglary other than a dwelling, assault on an emergency worker, assault by beating, failing to attend a drug appointment, vehicle interference and two counts of theft from a vehicle.

Magistrates told her the nature and number of offences, and their seriousness, had passed the custody threshold.

They jailed her for 38 weeks for the thefts, burglary, car thefts, the assault on Ms Ward and the assault on the police officer.

She received no separate penalties for the vehicle interference and failing to attend the drug test.

No further order was made for court costs or compensation to her victims as magistrates believed it would hinder the progress she had started to make on improving her life since being in custody.

The application for a CBO will be held at the same court on Friday (December 13).