Three players at a Carlisle bingo hall ran out of luck as a thief stole their handbags over the course of an evening.

At the city’s Rickergate magistrates’ court, Karan Coultard, 31, admitted three thefts, all of them committed on December 21 last year.

Prosecutor Pam Ward told how the defendant’s stealing spree began after she went to the Opera Bingo in Denton Street, Denton Holme. She snaffled the first two handbags before taking them to a toilet.

Once there, she rifled through them, stealing goods that included two iPhones, make-up, cigarettes and a lighter, said Mrs Ward.

Once back in the club’s main hall, she spotted another handbag next to her and took that.

After checking CCTV images from the night, police were able to identify the cuprit as Coultard, who lives on Westrigg Road, Morton, Carlisle.

When police arrested her, they found some of the items stolen from the handbags in the defendant’s jacket. All the items stolen were recovered.

The court heard that Coultard already has numerous convictions for dishonesty, the most recent being in August last year.

At the time of this theft, she was already serving a community order for a shop theft.

Asked in court what she wanted to say about the offence, she said: “I can’t remember, to be honest. I’d just recently got out of the Carleton Clinic because I wasn’t well. They were changing my medication over.”

Defence solicitor Lauren Heasley pointed out that the defendant had a history of mental health problems and this had deteriorated since 2015.

“She’d be vulnerable in custody,” said the lawyer, adding that the defendant’s benefits had been stopped but were now back in place.

Magistrates imposed an 18 weeks jail term but suspended the sentence for a year.

They also imposed a three month 7pm to 7am curfew, as well as costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £115.