Community order for mum who stole £3,000 ring
A MUM who stole a £3,000 diamond ring by swapping it for a worthless substitute when an assistant's back was turned has been spared jail.
Kimbra Rees made the audacious switch at PG Fine Jewellery, in High Street East, Uppingham, after asking to look at engagement rings.
The 41-year-old then tried the same trick three weeks later with a diamond crucifix but was caught red-handed by staff, a court was told.
Rees, of Wilkes Gardens, Uppingham, was found guilty of theft and attempted theft by a jury at Leicester Crown Court after a trial in January.
Sentencing her to an 18-month community order last week, Recorder Geoffrey Solomons told her: "These were not minor offences of shoplifting.
"They were aggravated by the fact you clearly targeted high-value goods and that there was a significant degree of planning."
Rees' trial heard how she walked into the shop on March 22 last year and asked to view rings worth between 5,000 and 6,000.
When assistant Natalie Burdett called another branch to see if it had any suitable pieces Rees made the switch using a ring in her pocket. Even though she realised almost instantly that the rings had been exchanged, Miss Burdett was unable to stop Rees leaving the shop.
She told the jury how Rees must have exchanged the rings when she turned her back for a "split second" during the call to another branch.
She said: "I turned round to put the phone back on the wall. I told her the other branch didn't have anything of the value she requested.
"She thanked me for my help and walked out of the shop. Instantly I noticed the most expensive ring was missing and had been replaced."
Miss Burdett said she "panicked" and ran out of the shop but was unable to stop Rees and so returned to the store to call the police.
She added that she was "shocked" when Rees walked back into the branch two weeks later - only to leave without asking to view anything.
Six days after that Rees returned to the store again and this time asked to be shown a selection of diamond crucifixes, the court was told. The jury heard Miss Burdett asked colleague Claire Morrissey to serve Rees and kept watch while pretending to deal with some paperwork.
Miss Burdett said she saw Rees "fumbling" with something after hearing Miss Morrissey shout: "What are you doing? Put that back!"
Staff demanded to search her coat, where they found three items of jewellery - including a crucifix similar to the one she had been viewing.
Rees, who was arrested nine days later, at first declined to comment when quizzed by detectives but later denied stealing anything.
Paul Prior, defending, said she was receiving mental health treatment and told the court: "No violence or force was used. It was a trick."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Stamford
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
