London, June 28 (IANS) A woman thief in Britain has been called the "worst female criminal ever seen" by a shocked judge who jailed her for her 229th offence.

 
 Penelope Russell, 42, was told by the judge at the Stoke-on-Trent crown court that he had never encountered a woman with so many convictions, the Daily Express reported.
 
 In the latest theft, Russell robbed 74-year-old ­Dorothy Hall who was out shopping with her daughter in Tesco in Staffordshire. She stole the ­woman's handbag from her trolley.
 
 She had also robbed another woman of her handbag a few days earlier.
 
 The court heard that ­Russell's 227 previous offences included 129 for theft and 52 for fraud.
 
 Judge Paul Glenn said: "You have a truly appalling record. I have never seen a female offender with so many convictions."
 
 "You are a professional criminal and the public deserve a rest from you, particularly the female shoppers you so regularly target," he said."
 
 Russell was jailed for two years.