A SERIAL thief has been told she must pay compensation to a shop worker after spitting at her.

Jaclyn Reynolds was in the Card Factory outlet in Musselburgh when she was caught stealing items and was challenged by an employee.

The police were contacted by the staff but, during the confrontation, Reynolds spat at the woman, though, she did not make contact during the incident on December 17 last year.

When police officers arrived, Reynolds began to struggle with them during the arrest procedure and she was eventually taken to the ground before being transported to the town’s police station.

Reynolds, of Castle Road, Port Seton, appeared for sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Tuesday after previously pleading guilty to the offences.

The 44-year-old had also admitted to further offences including stealing a quantity of hair products from the Boots store on Musselburgh High Street on June 24 last year.

She also pleaded guilty to stealing food stuffs from the Pinkie Farm Convenience Store on the town’s Morgan Way on August 15 and 16 last year.

Reynolds’ solicitor told the court that her client had “significantly changed her lifestyle” and had not taken any illicit substances for the past 14 weeks.

The lawyer said that Reynolds had a new partner in Aberdeen who had had “a pro-social influence on her life” and she was “very embarrassed by her actions” when she was in the Card Factory shop.

Sheriff Francis Gill told Reynolds that she had carried out “a disgusting offence” by spitting on the shop employee and told her she must pay a compensation order to the woman of £250.

The sheriff also imposed a total fine of £380 for the theft and resisting arrest offences.

Sheriff Gill deferred sentence on Reynolds concerning the theft offences from Boots and the Pinkie Farm Store for six months for her to be of good behaviour.