Woman pockets £5k diamond ring from jewellers after asking for glass of water

Wales Online

5 days ago

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A woman pocketed a £5,000 diamond ring from a Welsh jewellers after asking for a glass of water. Megan Taylor went to Stephen Hughes Fine Diamonds in Swansea's Quadrant shopping centre when she asked a jeweller to show her some pricey diamond rings.
The 28-year-old sat down with the sales assistant before the staff member took the rings out and went through them one by one with her on January 25 this year, Swansea Crown Court heard on Friday.
While they were looking at the rings the defendant then asked the sales assistant for a glass of water, claiming she felt faint, reports WalesOnline.
CCTV footage showed that when the sales assistant left the table to get the water Taylor slipped a solitaire diamond ring from the table into her pocket. She initially acted natural before deciding against purchasing a ring and walking out of the store minutes later.
Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting, said the ring she stole amounted to a value of £4,950. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
During a stock check days later the store realised the ring was missing and had not been sold. CCTV footage was checked and it clearly showed Taylor taking the ring and walking out of the store.
When the defendant was arrested days later by South Wales Police on February 8 she didn't deny having taken the ring but claimed she was acting in confusion at the time of the offence. She said she may have been under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time and later told the probation service she was epileptic and had a seizure on the morning of her crime.
The court heard how Taylor recently received almost £70,000 in inheritance money but she had now spent all of that and had "no real funds", so she couldn't pay the £4,950 back to Stephen Hughes in less than a year.
Hannah George, for Taylor, said her client did not recall where she put the ring and had "memory fog". "She doesn't know what she has done with the ring and she does not have the ring," Ms George told Judge Huw Rees.
"Unfortunately those are my instructions," she said. "She has £790 a month universal credit. She has been frank about how she used the inheritance money. How she spent it was short-sighted if I can put it that way."
Ms George said her client had no previous convictions. It was decided the defendant would repay the cost of the ring at a rate of £150 a month starting from October.
Taylor, of Cae Bricks Road in Cwmbwrla, eventually pleaded guilty to one count of theft during a mention hearing after the case had been listed for trial.
Judge Huw Rees, who in a previous hearing had adjourned matters in the hope the defendant would find the ring, told Taylor in the dock: "This is a very serious example of theft.
"I've given you the opportunity to determine where the ring is and you maintain the position that you don't know where it is or what happened to it.
"I have my own suspicions about this case which are relatively high but I should give you the benefit of the doubt."
Judge Rees sentenced Taylor to an 18-month community order. She must also complete a 12-month mental health treatment programme and five days of a rehabilitation activity requirement. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone