A shocking video shows a serial shoplifter kicking, spitting on and hitting a Co-op staff member with a basket in a vile attack.

Prolific thief Lucille Willett was apprehended by employees at the shop in Faversham and was later arrested by police, but avoided jail.

Video: Sam Bellerby-Brown

In the viral clip, which has now been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people online, she can first be seen surrounded by toiletries that had been knocked off the shelves.

She then smashes a bottle on the floor and pushes a trolley into a staff member.

There is a confrontation between the two at the automatic doors at the shop entrance in which Willett kicks the man before spitting at him.

She then grabs a basket and hits the staff member in the head with it as he tells her to leave.

Eventually, the Co-op workers manage to get her out of the shop, but not before she spits at them again.

Footage of the ruckus has been shared widely, being watched more than 125,000 times on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

The incident was one of seven which the 34-year-old was eventually charged with, taking place at various stores between October 16, 2022, and May 7, 2024.

She was arrested on May 12 and appeared at Medway Magistrate’s Court two days later.

A police spokesman said: “Lucile Willett, 34, of Fostall Road, Faversham, was charged with theft from a shop, assault by beating and criminal damage.

“The offences related to eight separate incidents which happened between October 2022 and May 2024.

“Miss Willett appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court on May 14 where she admitted the offences.

“She was handed an 18-week sentence which was suspended for 18 months.”

In 2020, Willett was jailed for threatening staff with a needle and a knife at stores across Swale in her attempts to steal.

KentOnline previously revealed how shoplifting has been on the rise in the county, up from 11,718 to 13,2555 incidents in the space of a year.

Yesterday, we reported how a thief stole a bottle of alcohol from a Premier store in Crockenhill, and even thanked staff on his way out.

A worker at the store said: “We’ve had shoplifters before but none who have been so brazen.”