A JUDGE has dubbed the lack of re-offending of a drug addict as the ‘best retirement present’ after he gave her a chance to improve her life.

Ella Pecko, 33, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (May 3) by Judge Michael Gledhill for 14 offences.

She was charged with five counts of shoplifting, one count of attempted shoplifting, four counts of assaulting an emergency worker, one count of assault by beating, two counts of public disorder, and one count of failing to surrender to court/police bail.

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Pecko was also in breach of a suspended sentence.

The offences took place across Cowley, including the theft of £60 of clothing from The British Heart Foundation charity shop on July 5 last year and the theft of £747 of clothing belonging to Victoria Secrets on February 1.

She also assaulted a man by beating on January 31 in Oxford and assaulted a police officer on February 1 this year.

Pecko appeared before Judge Gledhill, who is retiring, in February but he decided to defer her sentence to give her a chance to work on her addiction and stop reoffending.

Sentencing her to 18 months, suspended for two years, he said he was ‘very pleased’ with the work she had done.

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He said: “I was hopeful but not very hopeful that you would turn your life around and I’ve got to tell you I am really impressed with what you’ve been able to do.

“I gave you that opportunity and you’ve taken hold of it. You’ve done everything that I’ve asked you to do and I set a really high bar.

“You’ve really put your back into it. You’ve got a lovely home, a lot of support. I’m very pleased that you’ve done well.

“It’s made my day and I retire later today so it couldn’t be a better retirement present to me.”

The court heard that Pecko, of Luther Street, Oxford, had been able to provide the judge with a folder full of references and certificates of the work she has completed since February.

“I want you to keep it up,” Judge Gledhill added.

“You’ve got a terrible record and I think you know if you had carried on the way you did in the past it would have been downhill.

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“Just keep up with what you’ve been doing.”

Pecko was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and will need to complete monthly drug rehabilitation reviews.

She was also made subject to an exclusion order from Cowley.