A THIEF who returned to offending after moving into homeless accommodation has been placed on a community payback order.

Sandra Law stole cleaning products from an Oakley supermarket and also pinched items which had been put aside for charity.

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Law, whose address on court papers was given as the James Bank Hostel but was read out in Court as Stanley Court in Oakley, had admitted stealing 10 bottles of detergent from the Coo-op in Wardlaw Way on August 2.

Eight days later, she stole a quantity of laundry and detergent items from the same store and, also on August 10, she stole clothing and household goods from a property in the village's Station Road.

Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia said she had been seen on CCTV taking items and leaving the store.

For the other theft, the complainer collected items for a charity and stored them in bags in a communal close before they were collected by the charities. Items of clothing and other items were in a bag and when she came back to her property, she saw some items had been removed.

They were later found with Law.

Solicitor Alexander Flett said his client had a "fairly significant" record.

"She seemed to stay out of trouble for a period of time before she unwisely took accommodation at the address on the complaint but that was the first step of going through the homeless process and getting a scatter flat and improving her situation," he told the Court.

"Obviously staying in the hostel accommodation was not something that turned out to be a good decision for her and in a fairly short period of time, there were a spate of offences."

Sheriff James Macdonald placed Law on a community payback order with supervision for 21 months and a requirement to undergo substance misuse or treatment or counselling.