ACTRESS Winona Ryder wants to hold a charity auction to sell the US$5,500 worth of clothes and accessories that she stole from a posh department store but a judge on Monday was reluctant to buy into the plan.

Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Elden Fox praised the 31-year-old actress for completing the community service part of her three-year probation ahead of schedule but sparred with her lawyer, Mark Geragos, over whether she could dispose of the merchandise by holding a charity auction.

Ryder, sentenced on Dec. 6, 2002, for shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue, had to pay US$10,000 in fines and restitution and became owner of the property.

Fox said he was not keen on the idea of a celebrity auction to dispose of the merchandise because as he told Geragos, "Your client should not benefit" from her crime. But he postponed making a final ruling.

Geragos told the judge it was "ironic" that the court would turn down such a money-making opportunity in the face of the county court system's steep budget problems.

(Agencies via Xinhua)