Ryder wants charity sale of stolen goods

Winona Ryder wants the goods she stole from a Beverly Hills department store to be auctioned off for charity, it emerged at a court hearing yesterday.

At court for a progress report on her community service sentence, for which the actor has now completed 480 hours, Ryder's lawyer said the appropriate thing to do with the stolen goods - worth over £4,000 - would be to sell them at a charity auction. The value of the items would probably be even higher because of their association with the trial.

Prosecutors disagreed, saying such a sale would involve "a tax deduction benefit as well as a publicity advantage" for the actor, and send a message that "crime pays". Ryder's lawyer insisted that it would be "silly to take thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and burn it in a bonfire," as the store itself is apparently suggesting, but the judge reserved his decision for a later hearing.

The court also heard that all the fines imposed on Ryder after her being found guilty of the crime in December had been paid, and that her community service and drug counselling had gone well.

The judge said he had received several happy telephone calls from staff at the cancer clinic where Ryder performed her community service. Her lawyer said she intended to continue working there, despite having completed her sentence.

Finally, the judge allowed that while Ryder is still on probation, she may leave the US to work on any films that require it. The actor has been on hiatus since her trial.