Women who stole thousands of pounds worth of Jellycat toys fail to show for sentencing
Warrants without bail were issued for Sarah Jordan, 35, of no fixed abode, and Amber Clarke, 24, of Nine Elms, south-west London, after they failed to turn up for their sentencing at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
Jordan was due to be sentenced for eight counts of theft from shops in Kingston upon Thames and Wimbledon between December 2024 to May 2025 and for failing to surrender for a previous hearing at the same court.
The theft charges include six counts of theft where she was said to have stolen numerous Jellycats valued at a total of £1,716.57.
Food and clothing were taken in the other thefts, according to the charges.
Clarke had previously pleaded guilty to 16 counts of theft in shops in south and south-west London between February 2024 to January 2025.
They included thefts on two days where she stole 16 Jellycat soft toys worth £4,454.84 and another day when she 'stole a number of soft toys' to the value of £100 belonging to Waterstones in Lambeth, the charges state.
Various grocery and laundry items were stolen in the other thefts.
Clarke has also pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of their duty, assault by beating, failure to surrender for a previous hearing at the same court and assaulting an emergency worker.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Space Force Analyst Suspected Teens of Stealing His Wife's Car, and Killed 1 — Now He's Sentenced to 54 Years
Orest Schur has been sentenced for second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder following his June 2025 conviction NEED TO KNOW Former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst Orest Schur was sentenced to 54 years in prison for second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder In July 2023, the Afghanistan veteran shot at the 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys after they allegedly attempted to steal his wife's car Schur fired 11 shots at the two teens, fatally shooting one of them, Xavier Kirk, 14 Orest Schur, a former U.S. Space Force signals intelligence analyst, has been sentenced to more than five decades in prison after shooting two suspected teen car thieves and killing one of them, per a news release from District Attorney Brian Mason. On Friday, Aug. 15, Judge Caryn Datz sentenced Schur, 29, to 54 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in June 2025. He will serve 36 years behind bars for the murder charge and 18 years for the attempted murder, which will be served consecutively. Schur, an Afghanistan veteran, could have faced a maximum of 80 years in prison or a minimum of 26. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In July 2023, in Aurora, Colo., Schur, who at the time was a U.S. Space Force technical sergeant, chased the 13-year-old and 14-year-old boys down after he allegedly caught them attempting to steal his wife's car. As the unarmed teens drove away and ultimately crashed the car, Schur fired 11 shots at them, per the forensic testing results — some of which hit 14-year-old Xavier Kirk in the back and head. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died. The 13-year-old, whose identity has not been publicly revealed, was shot in the back but was able to get to a relative's home for help. The teen was taken to the hospital, and he survived his injuries. Ahead of Schur's sentencing, he addressed the court and apologized for his actions. "I am sorry for the events that occurred that night, for the pain, for the grief and trauma that have followed and for the impact that my case had on so many lives,' per CBS News. At Schur's sentencing, the boys' family members condemned the boys' actions, but said they did not deserve to die. "You know, kids make mistakes, and so, I always teach my kids in my family, like my nephews and nieces, about consequences and repercussions,' one family member said, per CBS News. 'We're not trying to excuse any wrongdoing of Xavier, or wrong they were involved in. The part that's messed up is Orest Shur's car was never stolen." Additionally, prosecutors read the surviving teen's statement in court. "An adult chose to use deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. That is not justice, that is not safety, that is not accountability,' the statement read, per CBS News. 'I survived, but I am not the same. My friend didn't survive at all. And no matter what we did that night, I didn't deserve to be shot, and Xavier didn't deserve to die." District Attorney Mason also issued a statement, calling Schur's actions 'vigilante violence at its worst.' 'Now a young man is dead,' the statement read. 'The defendant took the law into his own hands, chasing down a fleeing vehicle and opening fire on its occupants. A 14-year-old boy will now never grow up because of the defendant's actions. I'm grateful to the Aurora Police Department for their investigation and to my team at the DA's Office for securing justice in this case.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Council leaders weigh up legal challenges to migrant hotels after Epping ruling
Councils across England are considering launching their own legal actions after a district council in Essex secured a High Court victory temporarily blocking asylum seekers from being housed in a hotel in the area. Conservative-run Broxbourne Council in Hertfordshire said it was taking legal advice 'as a matter of urgency' about whether it could take similar action to Epping Forest District Council, which is also run by the Tories. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage indicated the 12 councils where Reform UK was the largest party would consider legal challenges following Tuesday's ruling. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Farage said the local authorities would do 'everything in their power to follow Epping's lead'. On Tuesday, a High Court judge ruled the former Bell Hotel in Epping must stop housing asylum seekers by September 12. Mr Farage added: 'The good people of Epping must inspire similar protests around Britain. Wherever people are concerned about the threat posed by young undocumented males living in local hotels and who are free to walk their streets, they should follow the example of the town in Essex.' The area had seen thousands of people turn out in protest about the housing of migrants in the Bell Hotel. The Home Office had warned the judge that an injunction could 'interfere' with the department's legal obligations, and lawyers representing the hotel's owner argued it would set a 'precedent'. Epping Forest District Council had asked a judge to issue an interim injunction stopping migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel. The hotel has been at the centre of a series of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker who was staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. In a post on Facebook, Broxbourne Council said: 'Broxbourne Council will now take legal advice as a matter of urgency about whether it could take similar action.' Meanwhile, the leader of South Norfolk District Council, which covers the town of Diss where a hotel housing asylum seekers has also been the subject of protests, said the council would not go down the same route. Conservative leader Daniel Elmer said the council was using planning rules to try to ensure it was families being housed in the area rather than single adult males. He said to do so, which would effectively convert the hotels into hostels, should require a change of use. Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with a protest in July outside the hotel in Diss, which houses more than 40 children. Cllr Elmer told the PA news agency: 'We make a big play about integration, and to replace families who have children in the local school system and have integrated into the local community would make no sense.' He added: 'If we can punish people who have put up sheds in their gardens without permission, then we can take action against hotels being converted into hostels without planning consent.' Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said the Government will 'continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns'. She added: 'Our work continues to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament.' Lawyers for the Home Office had warned the court that an injunction 'runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests'. Edward Brown KC also said the injunction would 'substantially interfere' with the Home Office's statutory duty in potentially avoiding a breach of the asylum seekers' human rights. Several protests and counter-protests have been held in Epping since a then-resident at the hotel was accused of trying to kiss a teenage girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied the charges against him and is due to stand trial later this month. A second man who resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over disorder outside the hotel. In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Eyre granted the temporary injunction, but extended the time limit by which the hotel must stop housing asylum seekers to September 12. He also refused to give Somani Hotels Limited, the hotel's owner, the green light to challenge his ruling, but the company could still ask the Court of Appeal for the go-ahead to appeal against the judgment.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thieves tug at heartstrings in string of Canada-wide distraction thefts, police say
EDMONTON — Police in Alberta say the public should mind strangers asking for hugs or sharing sob stories after three people were arrested in a string of "distraction" thefts across Canada. Edmonton police say officers have received at least 63 reports since May of people having belongings stolen while being distracted by thieves. Three women were charged with theft last week in an investigation that also involved RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency. Warrants have been issued for three more believed to be part of the scheme. More are believed to be out there, said Edmonton police Const. Shiva Shunmugam. At a Tuesday news conference, Shunmugam said the suspects are believed to be connected to similar thefts from B.C. to Toronto. "It's not limited to Alberta," he said. "It's Canada-wide." The tactic, they say, is straightforward. The thieves, acting in groups resembling families, approach vulnerable people in places from grocery stores to parking lots to strike up a conversation — going as far as asking for a hug or having them "bless" jewelry. But during the interaction, Shunmugam said, the bandits will steal the victim's jewelry and flee in a vehicle, often branded with a licence plate from B.C., Ontario or Quebec. It's an alarming trend that police say is taking place from coast to coast. RCMP in British Columbia have said several thefts took place earlier this summer, where a woman showered vulnerable seniors with compliments while a male accomplice attempted to replace the expensive jewelry with near worthless dupes. Ottawa police put out a call last month for the public's help after a man and woman in their 90s had their rings and necklaces snatched. In Winnipeg, two men believed to be part of a travelling jewelry scam were charged in similar distraction thefts in recent months. In one case, the man had a child with him and gave a fake story about needing money to travel, offering up fake gold jewelry. One case in Edmonton saw a 70-year-old woman have her gold necklace stolen after a man told her she looked like his deceased grandmother. Asked why the CBSA was involved with the investigation in Edmonton, Shunmugam confirmed that some of the suspects have claimed protected status. Canada grants protected status to people deemed to be in need of protection or who are refugees fleeing persecution in their home country. He also said there was a "strong nexus" between the suspects but would not confirm whether they were blood-related. "This particular group is transient in nature, so it's very hard for us to narrow (down) on them because they ... move quickly," Shunmugam said. "All I can say is that they live together (and) move together in most occurrences." Shunmugam said the thieves are exploiting people's trust and that victims have been emotionally impacted, with one recent victim saying she feels too traumatized to leave her home. "Don't let people in your personal space," he said. "If somebody is ... overtly friendly to you and trying to enter and breach your personal space by confusing you, tell them to stop and (that) you will call police." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025. Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
