Serial criminals spared jail despite dozens of offences

SERIAL offenders including burglars and paedophiles are being spared prison despite dozens of convictions for the same offence, shocking figures have revealed.

- Stephen Beech

One criminal convicted of his 45th burglary avoided a custodial sentence despite totting up 315 previous offences, according to Ministry of Justice data.

A sex offender guilty for the sixth time was also spared prison after appearing in court.

The figures emerged days after one of Britain's most prolific shoplifters avoided jail.

Tanya Liddle, 43, was back in court last week just a month after a unique civil injunction saw her banned from all but three shops across the North East of England.

Prolific

Liddle, who has 499 offences to her name, 370 of which are theft-related, has been described as a "plague" on the region's shops.

She was issued with an injunction by Newcastle Civil Court in September, banning her from every store apart from a pharmacy, a clothing retailer and a supermarket.