A teenager has been handed a suspended prison sentence for a string of offences in a five-month period.

Rosemary Burgess, aged 18 of Princes Avenue, Douglas, appeared via live link from the prison before magistrates on Thursday when she pleaded guilty to the latest charge of stealing a mountain bike.

She had previously admitted charges of introducing cannabis to the island, possession of the drug, provoking behaviour, criminal damage, theft and a Covid-19 breach.

We previously reported the series of offences began on December 24 when police were called to the Post Office headquarters to inspect a package that smelled of cannabis and was due to be delivered to Burgess’ address.

Officers seized the package and discovered it contained 55.4g of cannabis with a street value of more than £1,100.

After being arrested she told officers she was asked to receive the package as she owed money to a man, who she didn’t name. She said she was aware it was due to be delivered and had ’assumed’ it contained drugs.

On December 27, she was arrested at her then home address when officers, attending the building for an unrelated matter, smelt a strong smell of cannabis. She told officers the location of the cannabis, totalling £64 worth of bush, and said she intended to make brownies with it.

Prosecutor Rebecca Cubbon said Burgess went into Mace Store in Bathurst Street, Douglas, on March 9.

She threw a chocolate bar across the shelf and threatened the manager when she was told to leave.

Ransacked

She later returned to the store to challenge her ban and, while the manager was serving another customer, became abusive and ’ransacked’ the store, damaging products to the point they could not be sold to anyone else.

She then left and the manager called the police.

Officers who attended the scene described the store as being in ’disarray’. They were shown CCTV by the manager. While they were there, Burgess returned to the store for a third time and was subsequently arrested.

She admitted throwing the chocolate bar, challenging the manager and destroying produce but didn’t see her behaviour as threatening.

Last week, the court heard she stole a mountain bike from a neighbour on April 26.

She later spoke to officers and said she would attend police headquarters.

When she didn’t attend, officers went looking for her and found her at a house in Douglas. The occupants denied she was there but officers found her inside. The bike was not located.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers said his client accepted there were some serious elements to her case, particularly the introduction of cannabis to the island and the Covid-19 breach.

Mr Rodgers said Burgess had shown ’immaturity’ but had a ’cheerful disposition’ and described her actions as ’impulsive’.

Lonely

He said she went to her friend’s home as she was lonely during the lockdown.

He requested a suspended sentence for Burgess, saying she would be able to engage with probation which, due to the regime in place at the prison at present, she would not be able to do so there.

Sentencing her, Magistrate Geoff Collier said: ’For a young lady with no previous convictions, you have built up a significant record in a short time.’

He said her behaviour at the store had been ’disgraceful’.

Burgess was sentenced to six months’ prison, suspended for 18 months, with conditions to work with probation services.

For the Covid-19 breach she was sentenced to 28 days’ in prison, which she had served on remand.

She must pay £60 in compensation to Mace and £31.60 to the owner of the bike.