Jellycat thief who stole $2000-worth of plushies avoids jail time

News.com.au

3 days ago

A brazen thief who was filmed stuffing a £650 ($1347) Jellycat haul down her trousers has avoided jail after complaining about online abuse because the clip went viral.
Samantha Lawrence stuffed a 'significant amount' of the trendy plushies from St Peter's Garden Centre, Worcester, into her trousers and bags.
The 38-year-old was caught on CCTV helping herself to the incredibly popular soft toys from the shelves on June 7 this year, The Sun reported.
As she snatched the toys - worth £655 ($1358) - she put them in shopping bags and crammed them down her trousers.
The next day she struck The Valley shopping centre in Evesham, where she pinched Jellycats worth £121 ($250)
She later returned to the same shopping centre where she stole a further £170 ($352) worth of the toys.
The court heard that the footage of Ms Lawrence's Jellycat-snatching went viral online which caused her 'mental health to suffer'.
Chris Aggri, defending, said she was on a cocktail of medication for her anxiety.
'She has been targeted on social media and her mental health has suffered as a result,' he said.
'She has learned her lesson and is deeply remorseful.'
Ms Lawrence was recognised by the CCTV and police swooped on her home in Norton, Evesham, where officers found hundreds of stolen Jellycats.
She admitted three counts of theft when she appeared at Worcester Magistrates' Court on Friday.
Prosecutor Lauren Millichip told the court Lawrence had stolen Jellycats worth a total of £948.28 ($1966)
'Officers attended her address and found a quantity of Jellycats, some of these she said she had bought,' she said.
'She told officers she had gone into the stores with the intention of stealing the Jellycats.'
Lawrence was ordered to pay compensation to the shops she stole from and fined £120 ($249) with a £48 ($100) victim surcharge.
Chair of the bench, Caroline Taylor, said: 'We've listened to what's been said. The matters are serious, you have deliberately targeted the stores, one on two separate occasions.
'They are not insignificant amounts of money. You will pay compensation of £657.79 ($1364) to St Peter's and £292.49 ($607) to The Valley.
'We've taken into account your guilty plea, so a fine of £180 has been reduced to £120 ($249) due to that guilty plea.
'You will also pay a £48 ($100) victim surcharge.'
The court heard Ms Lawrence was already working with the probation service and magistrates said they expected this to continue.
Speaking at the time of the thefts, William Blake, managing director of St Peter's Garden Centre, said: 'We were deeply disappointed by the incident, where a significant amount of stock was stolen from our store.
'As an independent, family-run business, every loss impacts not just our shelves but the hardworking team behind the scenes.
'Our staff work tirelessly to create a warm and welcoming environment for all visitors, and it's disheartening when that is taken advantage of.'
Jellycats are uniquely shaped soft toys that are hugely popular right now, thanks to their quirky designs and super-soft material.
Over the past year, the brand has experienced significant growth in popularity.
As a result, there has been a major toy-snatching crime wave sweeping the UK - and fakes cropping up left right and centre.
In April, The Gorge Bear Company in Cheddar, Somerset, was brutally ramraided by at least two thieves.
They stole £20,000 ($41,466) worth of Jellycat soft toys in a bizarre night-time raid.
This comes amid fears that organised groups of shoplifters are targeting Jellycat soft toys in order to resell them online for as much as £2,400 ($4975).
And when Labubu toys also went viral, criminals began to target them too.Toy owners have reported their keyrings being taken from their bags as they walk, and even their car windows being smashed in so thieves can get access to the plushies.