TWO prolific shoplifters who stole cosmetics worth £3,400 have been jailed.

Helen Brown, 35, of Sidmouth Avenue, Westcliff, and Naomi Havis, 35, of Hornby Avenue Westcliff, admitted 23 offences between them after they terrorised shopkeepers across Rochford and Castle Point for a year.

In one of their biggest shop attacks they swiped cosmetics worth £986 from French Chemist in London Road, Leigh, on January 4, last year.

Havis pretended she was looking at cosmetics behind the counter, while Brown pilfered them, cramming them into bags and under their coats.

The double act returned for more pickings on August 8 where they stole £339 worth of cosmetics and also stole £294 worth of goods on December 21 last year.

They would steal hundreds of pounds of air fresheners at a time from Co-operatives in London Road, Benfleet and Spa Road, Hockley. They also targeted Savers in High Street, Rayleigh, Boots in Leigh Broadway and a Southend Co-operative.

Their pilfering continued until Fridaywhen police from Rayleigh’s retail crime unit tracked them down in Havis’s Citreon Saxo car. Prior to their arrest police had collated a list of clothing the pair had worn to carry out their crimewave, and seized them at their house.

Officers presented a dossier of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service which was so strong Brown, charged with 12 theft offences, and Havis, charged with 10 theft offences, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

Havis also admitted driving on a provisional licence and without number plates.

They were sentenced to four months in prison and Havis was also banned from driving for six months on her release.

Det Sgt Carol Line said: “This is a fantastic result. The retail crime unit has worked so hard to get everything together beforehand, even opening up old cases to charge them with the lot.

“The judge said the quality of the work was very good too.

“Literally within a period of 24 hours they were arrested, charged and convicted. I don’t think the defendants expected it either.

“The store managers expressed their delight and thanks to the officers, relieved that the defendants had received custodial sentences.”