FINGER OF DISOBEDIENCE: Shoplifter Sent to Jail After Flipping Off Court Ban

Rachel Lyon, a 41-year-old from Belle Vale, Merseyside, gave the courts a proper two-finger salute by shoplifting just days after being banned. She was hit with a suspended sentence and a criminal behaviour order (CBO) for a £9,000 crime spree at Tesco stores. But five days later, she ignored it all, fillin' up a trolley at Farmfoods in Belle Vale Shopping Centre with £121 worth of goods and walkin' out without payin'. Lyon's got 31 previous convictions for 78 offences, mostly theft. Judge David Swinnerton gave her one last chance on June 2, but she didn't take it. 'It's a shame,' the judge said. 'You're stickin' two fingers up at the court, really.' Defence lawyer Emily Kay told the court that Lyon struggles outside of custody and wants to be in prison to stay clean from drugs. She's been usin' crack cocaine since early adulthood and has mental health issues. In custody, she says, she can get the help she needs. Lyon was sentenced to two years in jail for theft, breaching her CBO, and violating her suspended sentence order. 'I really hope you succeed,' Judge Swinnerton added, as Lyon stood in the dock wearin' a purple t-shirt that read 'Recovering in Styal'.