A Tesco employee who helped herself to goods has been sentenced to community service and probation.

Rebekah Vigus-Brown stole items from the Port Erin store on 10 occasions.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to theft and was ordered to do 80 hours’ unpaid work, as well as being put on probation for a year.

Prosecuting advocate Harry Bellis told magistrates that the defendant had been employed at Tesco in Port Erin.

On March 2, Vigus-Brown was seen on CCTV footage using the self-service checkout.

She paid for some items but not all.

The same thing was recorded on CCTV footage again on March 13, March 14, March 16, March 21, March 26, March 27, March 29, and March 30.

On March 31, she was seen eating grapes and biscuits in a warehouse and was challenged about whether she had paid.

Vigus-Brown also had a shampoo and conditioner which she said she intended to purchase.

Later, she was seen in the shopping area paying for bread, but not for the hair products.

She was arrested at Tesco on April 28, and told police she had mental health issues and hadn’t realised she hadn’t paid for items.

Vigus-Brown, of Strand Road, Port Erin, also claimed she'd thought her mother was paying for items.

Mr Bellis said that it was difficult to arrive at a compensation figure as it had not been possible to estimate how much was taken.

Defence advocate Laurence Vaughan-Williams said: ‘The defendant’s mother works in the same store, so there has been a tremendous amount of family embarrassment.

‘She presents as a very young lady and not terribly worldly-wise.’

Mr Vaughan Williams said that Vigus-Brown had suffered from mental health problems, and the breakdown of relationship.

‘She almost gives the impression she was operating as an automaton, not fully aware of what was going on,’ said the advocate.