A thief who previously abandoned her two dogs in a squalid house filled with urine and faeces was back in trouble after attacking supermarket staff.
As previously reported on Chroniclelive, Lindsay Tweddle was given a suspended sentence in 2018 after animal welfare officers discovered the shih tzus in her filthy property, in Blyth. A court heard on that occasion that the premises hadn't been lived in by humans for weeks and was covered with urine, faeces, rubbish and clutter.
The pets' only source of a drink was a bucket containing “foul, brown water”, while their only food was “stale” cat biscuits, prosecutors said at the time. Both dogs, called Mishka an Lexi, were seized and were found to have severely matted fur, to be underweight and dehydrated and to be infested with fleas.
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Despite being given a suspended sentence after admitting two charges of failing to ensure an animal’s needs were met, Tweddle has repeatedly proved she just can't keep out of trouble, having since wracked-up a conviction for possessing a knife.
And the 42-year-old, formerly of Blyth but now living at Lily Avenue, Bedlington, found herself back in the dock at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court this week after she attacked two staff members at Farm Foods, in Blyth, when they tried to stop her from stealing goods. She pleaded guilty to two count of assault by beating and one of shop theft.
Prosecutor, Rebecca Slade, was one of the supermarket's workers spotted Tweddle attempting to leave the store with a basket full of household products, which hadn't been paid for, on the afternoon of August 2. Miss Slade continued: "When [the worker] attempted to obtain the goods, the defendant punched her to the left side of her face next to her mouth.
"[The worker] did punch the defendant back out of self-defence. Another worker is the second complainant. He also saw the defendant attempting to take goods from the store. He put himself in a position near the defendant. She continued to be aggressive. The defendant punched him with both hands to the chest and neck area. He believes she was aiming for his face but he turned his head."
The court heard that Tweddle, who has 17 offences on her record and was on a community order for possessing a knife at the time, then tried to kick the male victim before he pushed her away. No injuries were suffered by either staff member.
Stewart Hay, defending, said Tweddle suffered from mental health problems and hadn't been taking her medication. He added: "The reason she committed the stealing was because she was homeless and had no food. She stole the cleaning products to sell in order to buy food. It's just a panic situation when she is stopped."
Giving Tweddle a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordering her to pay £50 in compensation to each victim, chairing magistrate, Keith McIntosh, said: "Basically, what we're doing is giving you one last chance. If you commit further offences, you know what's going to happen, you will end up in prison."
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