Barbara Stange Alvarez (pictured), destroyed beer, wine and spirits when she took a rampage in Aldi.
A jobless woman smashed £10,000 worth of alcohol in a five-minute meltdown because she ‘lost the plot’ in lockdown, a court has heard.
Barbara Stange-Alvarez destroyed wine, spirits and beer when she went on the rampage in Aldi, St Albans Magistrates’ Court was told.
Judges heard that the woman, aged 36, was from Stevenage (Hertfordshire) and walked up the aisle to the local shop. She used her arm for hundreds of bottle sweeps.
After the November 25th, 2020 incident, shocking footage captured the floor covered in broken glass pieces and large puddles of alcohol.
The video also saw Stange-Alvarez slip on the mess, on to the bottles, and slice her hand open.
She yesterday pleaded guilty to criminal damage, racially aggravated common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence.
The latter was for hurling insults at a security guard at the hospital where she was taken to fix her hand.
Clinton Hadgill, the prosecution’s attorney, told the court that Clinton made her way straight to the aisle where alcohol was and then proceeded with hundreds of bottles of alcohol from the shelves.
When she reached the end of the aisle, he said that she returned to the beginning and did the same exercise.
He claimed that the defendant fell onto the glass about 90 seconds after the incident.
She stood up at the end and took single bottles from the rows, before throwing them onto the ground.
Mr Hadgill said a security guard from another store restrained Stange-Alvarez until police arrived.
The prosecutor said officers took the woman to Lister Hospital in Stevenage where she kicked a security guard in the shin and hurled racial insults at him.
She said to him, “You Indian people. For you to live in this country, I must pay my taxes. Return to your country. I do not like Indians.
Later, while being taken into custody she said this to a fellow officer: “I did not say Indian …..,. Instead I said Kashmir …..’.”
Stange-Alvarez said in an interview she was suffering from mental health problems due to having no job, depression and an abusive relationship.
She said that she was not receiving the treatment she thought she should have been.
Judges heard that the woman, aged 36, was from Stevenage (Hertfordshire). She walked up the aisle and used her arm for hundreds of bottle sweeps.
Before head to Aldi that day, she said she had gone to a mental health clinic seeking help – but was unhappy at the response she got and ‘lost the plot’.
Strange-Alvarez, representing herself, stated she could not work in 2020 and added that “I struggled due to being unemployed.”
Margaret Dodd, District Judge of Margaret Dodd said that ‘lots’ of people had suffered similar hardships in the period leading up to the pandemic.
Stange Alvarez stated that “Loads” of factors had affected her and she was unable receive the necessary treatment.
She said to the judge, “It won’t happen again” and that she had been more stabilized ”.’ by the medications she was taking.
Dodd passed her sentence and said she could credit her for her guilty plea.
Although she said that you weren’t feeling well, she added that many other people were also out of work or furloughed at the same time and hadn’t behaved as her.
Stange-Alvarez was told she would have to pay Aldi £5000 in compensation and court costs of £85
Stange-Alvarez told her that she had been hurtful and upset by the behavior of the security guard at the hospital.
The judge said that he had been simply trying to perform his job and was then sworn at.
The sentence was suspended for 18-months and she was sent to jail for 12 weeks.
Her case was subject to a Mental Health Treatment Requirement and Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.
Stange-Alvarez was told she would have to pay Aldi £5000 in compensation and court costs of £85.