CATHY Willouby lost her temper when security guards who had caught her shoplifting refused to give her 16-month-old child back to her.

Blackburn magistrates were told how the child became piggy-in-the-middle as first Willouby made to leave without the child and then the security staff refused to return it fearing she would leave before the police arrived.

Defence solicitor Jonathon Taylor said his client eventually panicked and lost her temper.

Willouby, 19, of Greenside Avenue, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to stealing a jar of coffee from Spar at Mill Hill and disorderly conduct. She was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £50 costs.

Teresa Feeley, prosecuting, said that after being stopped Willouby handed back the coffee and then fled from the store, leaving the child behind.

"She returned and told the security staff to give her child back," said Miss Feeley. "She threatened to wrap her pram around the head of one member of staff and became very abusive."

Mr Taylor said Willouby had returned the coffee but one of the security guards had taken possession of her child.

"She did make to leave at that stage but then came back and asked for her child to be returned to her," said Mr Taylor. "At that stage, fearing for the child, she lost her temper and she accepts that some of the threats she made were unacceptable.

"It was simply because she panicked because she did not like the idea of her child being in the custody of this security guard," he added.