Woman admits £10,000 Aldi wrecking spree during second lockdown

18 January 2022, 15:28

Woman smashes hundreds of bottles of alcohol in Aldi

A woman who smashed bottles of alcohol worth £10,000 during a five-minute rampage in Aldi has been fined thousands of pounds.

Barbara Stange-Alvarez destroyed wine, spirits and beer when she went on the rampage in Aldi during the second coronavirus lockdown, St Albans Magistrates' Court was told.

The 36-year-old threw thousands of pounds worth of alcohol from the shelves in the Hertfordshire supermarket back in November of 2020.

The rampage went viral after footage shared on social media showed the woman dragging wine, beer and spirits from the shelves before smashing them on the floor in front of shocked shoppers.

At one point during the ordeal, she slipped and fell on the glass, cutting her hand, as shoppers in the store looked on in shock.

On Monday, Stange-Alvarez pleaded guilty to criminal damage, racially aggravated common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence for insulting a security guard at the hospital where she had been taken for treatment to her hand.

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One witness, TV presenter Lee Clark, 50, said she must have smashed at least 500 bottles during the "incredibly dangerous" incident.

The five-minute rampage only came to an end when a security guard grabbed Stange-Alvarez and took her outside, the court heard.

She was given a 12 week jail sentence which was suspended for 18 months, and was also made the subject of a Mental Health Treatment Requirement as well as Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, during which she will work with probation staff.

Stange-Alvarez was also told she would have to pay Aldi £5,000 in compensation and court costs of £85.