A pregnant former heroin addict has been told she will have to have her baby in prison, writes Rebecca Smith.

Judge Peter Crawford told Christina Hovanessian she would be behind bars when she gave birth so that she receives proper care and is kept away from bad influences.

Hovanessian, 26, of The Homestead, Bladon, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and obtaining 61.25 worth of cigarettes by using a stolen chequebook and credit card.

She also pleaded guilty to attempting to spend 217.99 on a mobile phone and cigarettes in Tesco using the same items.

Staff made checks on the card and she fled the shop without the goods, leaving the chequebook and credit card behind. Judge Crawford jailed her for a total of 18 months at Oxford Crown Court yesterday and said he wanted her to have the baby in prison rather than release her a couple of weeks before the birth and risk her falling back into her old ways.

John Small, prosecuting, said Hovanessian asked for seven offences to be taken into consideration, including stealing a Co-op bank card in October 1999, and six offences of using the same stolen cheque book and card.

Paul Mitchell, defending, said she made full admissions to all the offences and had made several attempts to sort herself out.

She was trying to withdraw from methadone.

Mr Mitchell said she was 13 weeks pregnant with her second child and already had a seven-year-old child.