A FORMER drug addicted mum went back to heroin when her old boyfriend came back on the scene, magistrates heard.

The Burnley bench heard how Shelley Leanne Morrison, 27, was now hoping to be going to a drug rehabilitation centre in Sheffield to "fight the evils of heroin," and would be taking her nine year old daughter with her.

Morrison, of Brownhill Avenue, Burnley, who has 21 previous convictions for shoplifting, admitted three counts of theft and was given a 12 months community rehabilitation order with £32.70 compensation. The bench made no order for costs.

Trevor Grice, defending, said Morrison was formerly a persistent offender and used to be a heroin addict.

She was put on probation with drugs counselling, took a heroin substitute, got a job and settled down.

Unfortunately, her former co-habitee, who appeared regularly before the courts and who had originally enticed her into abusing heroin, had come back on the scene. Before she met him, she had no criminal convictions.