Stole Christmas gifts to fuel heroin addiction

Published on 12th April 2007 in News

A Goole woman was handed a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay £65 in compensation following a string of offences committed in order to fuel her heroin addiction.

Samantha Ellis (28), of Phoenix Street, pleaded guilty at Goole Magistrates' Court to eight charges - one of burglary, two of theft, two of obtaining property by deception, two of failing to surrender to custody and one of handling stolen goods.

Prosecutor Teresa Slater told the court that on July 11, 2006, a stolen Visa card taken during a burglary in Heber Street, Old Goole, was used to pay for a £7 pair of trousers from Poundstretcher in Goole. A further £8.48 was charged to the card, along with £50 worth of cashback, in the Netto supermarket.

Miss Ellis was seen using the card on that occasion and later told police officers that a man had given her the stolen card so that she could feed her heroin addiction. The trousers were recovered.

Two months later, on September 22, Miss Ellis stole a carrier bag of shopping worth £10 from a bicycle left outside Tesco in Goole and belonging to a 74-year-old woman. A security guard witnessed the incident and recovered the shopping, but Miss Ellis was not detained.

On November 21 Miss Ellis was caught stealing two bottles of Grecian 2000 hair dye from Superdrug in Boothferry Road, to the value of £36.49.

The court heard that Miss Ellis was then involved in a burglary in December at a home in Third Avenue, Goole. The home belonged to the mother of Samantha's boyfriend, and the couple were staying there at the time.

His mother kept her bedroom door locked at all times, as she was aware of the couple's heroin addictions, and made it clear that they were not to enter the room.

But, on returning home on December 9 after a trip, the woman found that her bedroom door had been kicked in and a number of Christmas presents - including two tins of Quality Street chocolates, a bottle of Baileys liqueur and quantities of cash - had been stolen.

Fingerprints linked Miss Ellis to the burglary and, after initially denying any involvement, she admitted that had helped her boyfriend remove the items from the bedroom.

Prosecutor Teresa Slater added that Miss Ellis had failed to surrender to custody on two occasions.

Defending, Mr Shaun Dobbin told the court that Miss Ellis was still 'comparatively young,' and that the offences she had committed stemmed from heroin addiction.

Mr Dobbin said that, in relation to the burglary, Miss Ellis and her boyfriend were 'both off their heads on drugs' and that she had initially tried to persuade her boyfriend against breaking into his mother's bedroom - even placing herself between her boyfriend and the door - but could not stop him from breaking in. The court heard that Miss Ellis assisted her boyfriend in removing some of the items, but put 'quite a lot of property back' later on.

In relation to the fact that Miss Ellis had failed to surrender to custody, Mr Dobbin said that there was no letter box at Miss Ellis's Phoenix Street home, so she was unaware of the summons.

Mr Dobbins added that Miss Ellis apologised for her behaviour, which was not unusual because of her drug addiction, but said that she had 'good intentions.'

Magistrates gave Miss Ellis a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Miss Ellis was told that she was 'being given a lifeline,' but would go to prison if she committed another offence during the 12-month suspended sentence.

Magistrates also ordered that Miss Ellis paid £65.48 in compensation to the owner of the stolen Visa card.