A shoplifter left a police officer fearing for her life before stealing £500 of Ralph Lauren t-shirts from the Swindon Designer Outlet.

Nina Austin, 46, of no fixed abode, pushed the officer after brandishing a fire extinguisher on Queens Drive.

She pleaded guilty in Swindon Magistrates' Court on August 14 to three thefts and assaulting an emergency worker, all while on a suspended prison sentence.

Her earliest offence on July 30 was stealing two bottles of vodka worth £66.95 from Co-op. Staff recognised her and stopped her as she was putting the bottles into her bag outside.The BP garage where Nina Austin assaulted a police officer (Image: Google Maps)

On August 3, a police officer visited the Queens Drive BP garage where Austin was “carrying a fire extinguisher, shouting and swearing” because the garage would not let her in. 

Abbie Winters, prosecuting, said the officer could “smell the intoxicants emulating from her, her eyes were bloodshot and she was unstable on her feet”.

Austin pushed the officer and said: “F*** you, you stupid ****”. 

The officer said she “felt in fear of her life” and thought Austin was “going to kick my brains in”, though she suffered no injuries.Nina Austin, 46, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to jail(Image: Wiltshire Police)

Mark Glendenning, defending, explained that Austin had been trying to buy alcohol in the garage and was not holding the extinguisher when she pushed the officer.

Six days later on August 12, Austin stole a pair of Adidas Blue Campus 90 trainers worth £59 and 16 Ralph Lauren t-shirts worth £500 from Swindon’s Designer Outlet. 

Austin committed all these offences while subject to two suspended prison sentences - one of 12 weeks for a public order offence and a second of four weeks.

Her engagement with the probation service “is not great”, said a representative.

They continued: “She lives quite a chaotic lifestyle, with no fixed abode and some substance misuse.”(Image: Dave Cox)

Mr Glendenning added that Austin, who has 64 previous theft offences, intended to sell the shirts to “feed her drink and drug habit while trying to live”. Though classed as vulnerable she is on a waiting list for council accommodation.

He added: “While in accommodation her offending tends to diminish. Then there’s a crisis and she is dragged down the rabbit hole and gets stuck, largely through no fault of her own.”

The magistrate, Ms O’Connell, said: “We did consider your circumstances carefully but we have been left with no choice but to activate your suspended sentence.”

Austin will serve 24 weeks in prison in total and must pay £75 compensation to the police officer. There were no costs or surcharge.