THREE Ryedale people with big debts stole household items worth more than £800 in a single day as they toured Clifton Moor and Monks Cross, York magistrates heard.

Shaun Magson, 25, his partner Carys Lewis, 22, and his sister Chantelle Mill, 22, hid the items they wanted under plastic bags in shopping trolleys and pushed them out of seven stores they visited without paying for them, said Cathy Turnbull, prosecuting.

They visited Wilkinsons, Pets At Home, Tesco, B&Q, Home Bargains and Range before being spotted and stopped in TK Maxx.

Following their arrest, the three wrote a letter apologising for what they had done and saying they

deeply regretted it, said Ms Turnbull.

It included the words: “We have never done anything like this before and we won’t do anything like this again,” she said.

For the trio, Liam Hassan said the stealing had been opportunistic. They had stolen from one store and that had led to them stealing from the rest.

All three had such major debt problems they were on individual voluntary arrangements and were struggling to keep their heads above water financially.

Magson, of Nawton Road, Wombleton, and Mill, of Shaw Drive, Kirkbymoorside, pleaded guilty to seven offences of theft and Lewis, of Nawton Road, Wombleton, whom the prosecution accepted was not involved in one of the thefts, pleaded guilty to six.

All three were given three-year conditional discharges and each was ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £20 statutory surcharge.

They stole cat litter worth £3.99 from Wilkinsons, pet items worth £108.16 from Pets At Home, household and perishable goods worth £272.65 from Tesco, DIY items worth £79.35 from B&Q, pedicure items worth £19.99 from Home Bargains, household items worth £70.27 from The Range and bedding and household items worth £255.81 from TK Maxx.

Mill and Lewis had never been in trouble with the police before, Magson had a single youth court conviction from several years ago.

Mr Hassan said they were not an organised gang of shoplifters.

They were appalled by what they had done.

Magson suffered from schizophrenia and in the past had coped with mood changes by getting and using credit cards.