A judge has lamented the "tragedy" of a mum who achieved strong grades at school only to fall into a long spiral of drugs and crime. In her latest offences Nicola Williams stole more than £1,200 worth of Boots products in Cardiff and cut a security guard with a knife.
The 37-year-old was accompanied by a man at 4pm on May 8 when the pair entered the Boots store in Queen Street, prosecutor Tom Roberts told Cardiff Crown Court. She was seen on CCTV using a magnetic de-tagger to remove security tags from items including scented candles and razors.
"She was followed out of the shop by security officers and apprehended," he added. "Once it became apparent she was being stopped she said: 'Get off me, I have HIV.' She had a Stanley knife in her left hand and said: 'I don't want to have to use this.'"
