THREE mums with 12 young children between them stole more than £2,000 of designer gear from Hugo Boss.
Razwana Ahmed, 39, Nazia Shazad, 37, and Nargis Noreen, 31, all of Saunders Road, Blackburn, travelled 80 miles to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in York where they tried to escape with the haul.
After staff became suspicious of the group, the police were called and managed to stop them making a getaway. They were found to be in possession of £2,379 worth of Hugo Boss clothes and a security de-tagging tool.
Staff also found many discarded security tags back at the shop.
The trio pleaded guilty to theft at York Crown Court last month and were jailed for 16-weeks. But just eight days into their sentences they all appealed to have their punishments overturned.
The three women appeared before Burnley Magistrates earlier this year where they were convicted of stealing £650 of household items from Boundary Mills in Colne.
Following that offence Ahmed was banned from entering Boundary Mill the store for six months and ordered to complete a 15-day rehabilitation. She was also told to pay £100 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
Noreen was banned from entering Boundary Mill for six months and ordered to complete a 10-day rehabilitation. She was also ordered to pay £100 costs and an £85 surcharge.
Shazad was banned from entering Boundary Mill for 10 months and ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation and pay £100 costs and an £85 surcharge.
However just five weeks after magistrates passed down those sentences the trio travelled to York where they went on their designer goods shoplifting spree.
During the appeal hearing for the York conviction, their barrister Andrew Petterson said Haq had six children, including a three-year-old with 'significant medical problems', Ahmed had four including one with epilepsy and two with learning difficulties and Noreen had two, the oldest of whom was five.
He said: "Consideration could be given now to the imposition of a suspended sentence, given they have now had their first unpleasant experience of a custodial environment."
Judge Paul Worsley QC, sitting with two magistrates, took two minutes to dismiss their appeal.
He said: “It was organised, carefully planned shoplifting. We regard the sentence imposed as a lenient one, not harsh.”
Speaking about when they were handed the community orders for the Boundary Mills offence, Judge Worsley added: "That was the time to say ‘we mustn’t commit any offence which would put us in jeopardy of going to prison’. That sadly they have now done.”
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