A WOMAN stole money after finding a children’s party she had organised was more popular than expected.

Mother-of-two Simone Dee Eastwood, 38, had booked a child’s birthday party at the Sticky Fingers Children's Party Centre.

A court was told she panicked when three more children than she expected turned up.

She did not have the additional £30 required and on the spur of the moment stole the purse from inside the centre at Sabre House in Bridge Street, but was caught on CCTV and arrested.

Eastwood, of Llwyni Drive, Connah’s Quay admitted theft on July 25.

The theft put her in breach of a suspended prison sentence and Flintshire magistrates said they had to think long and hard what to do with her because it was her third breach. They warned she had now reached the end of the road and any further breach would mean prison.

Eastwood was placed on an eight-week curfew which means she must remain indoors between 7pm and 7am.

She was also sent on an Enhanced Thinking Skills course.

Bethan Jones, defending, said Eastwood should have attended a Thinking Skills course earlier but no course was available.

The offence occurred because she had been too embarrassed to tell the manager or the other mothers she did not have the extra money required.

As soon as she took the purse Eastwood regretted what she had done. The purse had been recovered and no money or cards had been taken from it.