A SHOPLIFTER wrapped up a doll in a pushchair to give the impression she had her child with her.

Claire Toy, 21, used the ploy when she stole a box of DVDs from the HMV store in Southampton.

Prosecutor Sarah Dineley described how Toy had placed the item on the top of the buggy as she entered a lift but it had been moved by the time she emerged from it.

She was followed outside where it was found hidden in the pushchair which contained a doll. She was also found with a Stanley knife to cut off security tags.

The city crown court heard Toy was on bail at the time following a spate of shoplifting in which she stole items valued at £96. On one occasion, she gave her mother's details on arrest and received a fixed penalty notice to avoid prosecution.

Toy, of Kendal Avenue, admitted three charges of theft, and one each of attempting to pervert the course of justice, failing to answer bail and going equipped to steal. She was jailed for four months.