A COUPLE who stole Poppy Appeal collecting tins in Oxford today admitted they had yet to kick their drug addiction, despite being subject to court rehabilitation orders.

Sabrina Burton and Michael Bailey appeared at Oxford Crown Court for their first review hearing since they were sentenced last month for stealing three British Legion tins and one belonging to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Burton told Judge Julian Hall she had recently given birth to a healthy baby girl, who was now in the care of social services, but the couple both admitted having traces of drugs in their systems during one of their weekly drug tests.

Judge Hall, who had sentenced the couple, both 25, of Fettiplace Road, Barton, to six-month drug rehabilitation orders and 12-month supervision orders, said: “I see you’ve not given up the drugs.

“What is the hope that she [the baby] will come back to you?”

“That’s what’s keeping us going,” replied Burton.

Assessing their progress, Judge Hall said: “It’s not going too badly, but it’s not brilliant.

“You have got to haul each other up, rather than drag each other down.”

Handing them bronze certificates for their efforts, Judge Hall added: “I think the aim for you should be a negative test in May. Everything else seems to be going all right.”

Thames Valley Probation Service spokesman Fiona Tarrant said she could not comment on individual cases but added: “It’s unrealistic to expect somebody with a dependency on drugs to give completely clear drug tests from the start.

“You would expect someone to fail occasionally but to continue with the order and hopefully succeed in going clean over the course of the order.”