Woman who drinks up to 28 pints a day arrested for stealing bacon

The staggering alcohol addiction of a mother who drinks up to 28 pints a day has emerged in court.

Dawn Marsden, 31, sometimes drinks as much as 84 units in 24 hours, an amount NHS guidelines recommend as acceptable for women to consume over an entire month.

Marsden, from Hartlepool, appeared in court for theft after stealing ten packets of bacon from a Co-op store on July 31 to sell on and fund her habit.

She was so drunk during the court hearing that she had to ask a reporter what her sentence was only moments after being given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay compensation of £28.02 and £45 in costs.

Marsden's solicitor, John Relton, told magistrates: 'You may have noticed my client has a drink problem. It's something she is seeking advice upon and getting help.

'She tells me on occasion she will drink up to 16 litres a day. She has a long-standing appetite for alcohol.

'Someone under the influence of alcohol has clouded judgment, and that's why she expresses regret for her actions.'

He said that Marsden has a two-year-old daughter who is in foster care because of her alcohol problem, and the court also heard that two weeks ago Marsden is said to have been close to death as her body could not cope during one heavy session.

Mr Relton added: 'Clearly the prospects of the child being returned to her are intrinsically entwined with this illness.

'She overdosed two weeks ago and almost died.

'That shows that this is a problem that needs addressing.'

Marsden called the sentence a 'sham' as she left the court.

Helen Kesterton, prosecuting, said: 'This was a straightforward shop theft.

'She was identified on CCTV and admitted the theft and said she had sold the goods for £1 each and used that to buy alcohol.

'She has previous convictions for theft, and the last was in June 2009.