A SERIAL thief who raided stores across Belfast has been spared jail - because she is pregnant.
Annie McDonagh (29) stole goods with a total value of more than £500 during six separate bouts of shoplifting.
Her targets in a crime blitz from August to October last year included a TK Maxx outlet in Boucher Retail Park, a filling station on the Upper Lisburn Road and a discount store in the west of the city.
District Judge Alan White decided to defer sentencing for a year after being told she is expecting her third child in June Deferring the final outcome until March next year, Judge White warned she that would be sent to jail if she reoffended between now and then.