A 39-year-old woman, who claimed she stole clothes because of the devil was sentenced to 30 days, imprison-ment at hard labour on Wednesday.

Coreen Denton, from Kingston, pleaded guilty to simple larceny when the matter was mentioned in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.

The court was told that the accused went to the Azan's Gift Centre in downtown Kingston were she stole items of clothing valued at $7,500. She was seen on tape putting the items, which consisted of baby and adult clothing, in her bag. However, when Denton passed the cashier and did not pay for the items, she was accosted by store personnel, who held her and called the police.

Denton, however, hardly had an explanation for her actions. "Your Honour, to tell you the truth, is just di devil 'cause I don't know why I do it ," she told the court.

When RM Glen Brown asked her who the children clothing was for, she said it was for a child she had adopted. Further questions by RM Brown about who has been caring for the child while she was in lock-up, revealed that she didn't know.

However, after further questioning, the court discovered that the 'child' was 30-year-old. RM Brown then sentenced her to jail time.