A woman attempted to steal £790 worth of clothes from Marks & Spencer by hiding garments under her skirt, a court was told.

Claudia Dumitru (39), a Romanian mother-of-three, was given an 18-month community order, ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and to pay £60 costs by Leicester magistrates.

Dumitru, of Overton Road, off Humberstone Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to stealing clothes from the Fosse Park store on September 19, and admitted being in breach of a bail order to attend court.

She claimed she "was pushed by poverty" into the offence because she wanted to provide for her family and to help an elderly friend get back to Romania to attend his brother's funeral.

Prosecutor Clare Palmer said a man and a woman were seen leaving a trolley full of clothes near the store's exit about 3.20pm.

She said: "The defendant and another female approached and were seen to take items from the trolley and conceal them under their long skirts, then left the store without paying for them."

Security officers recovered 22 garments, worth £790.50, from the two women.

Dumitru was arrested and searched by police who found a cotton-style sack under her skirt, which had been used to hide the stolen items.

Ms Palmer said the other woman involved was issued with a caution as she had no previous criminal record.

Shade Abiodun, for Dumitru, said: "The reason she committed the offence was because she had no means to survive."

She told the court Dumitru had arrived in the UK with her husband and three children two years ago because they were unable to find work in Romania.

Ms Abiodun said Dumitru failed to attend court on the proper day because she misunderstood the bail instructions.