Woman admits handling stolen goods after accepting 'waste' food from Tesco bins

A woman accused of stealing £200 worth of ham, pies and potato waffles from a bin at a Tesco store in Essex has admitted handling stolen goods. Sasha Hall, 22, claimed dozens of people raided the bin outside the Tesco Express store in Great Baddow, following a power failure on January 29.

But she denied theft at Chelmsford Crown Court, saying instead that three bags full of food had been delivered to her flat above the store by a friend. Prosecutor Anil Patani told the court store managers had been forced to throw away about £10,000 worth of spoilt food following the power cut.



That evening a friend had delivered the bags, mainly containing 100 packets of ham, to her house and asked "Do you want some free food?". Mr Patani told the court: "She told the police that she did not know what she was receiving and was disappointed there was so much ham as she would have preferred some steak."

Defence advocate Emma Davenport said Hall had not been the person who packed the bags. The court was told that Tesco was not seeking compensation for the food because it "had no value". Judge Rodger Hayward Smith adjourned sentencing until June 20. He said: "This is more complex than I thought. She cannot consume 100 packs of ham."