Latest news with #BathSpaUniversity
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Criminology lecturer who boasts she is 'UK's poshest thief' avoids jail despite stealing Le Creuset cookware, premium steaks, wine, and boutique gin in M&S and garden centre sprees
An ex-criminology lecturer who styles herself as the 'UK's poshest thief' has avoided prison after four-figure theft sprees which included stealing Le Creuset cookware. Upmarket thieves Pauline Al Said and her husband Mark Wheatcroft also seized premium steaks, wine and boutique gin. They have now been fined £2,500 between them for the daylight raids on a garden centre and a branch of Marks and Spencer. Prosecutors did not appear in court ahead of the punishments being handed down. The judge ruling on their fate described how shoplifters walking out of supermarkets with 'full trolley loads' was becoming 'more and more common' with the public calling for 'appropriate sentences'. However, he decided against a custodial sentence and decided to impose a financial penalty after concluding Al Said, 35, would not comply with community service. Since being convicted of the crimes last year, the former senior criminology lecturer at Bath Spa University has nicknamed herself the 'UK's poshest thief' on her biography on X, previously Twitter. A court heard how the pair had visited a garden centre, armed with a de-tagging device, before trying to steal high-value spirits and cast iron utensils. The couple, seen here outside Winchester Crown Court, have now been fined £2,500 between them for daylight raids on a garden centre and a branch of Marks and Spencer When they were asked to come back into the store by a shop detective, who had seen them leave without paying on CCTV, Wheatcroft, 56, 'struck' the employee. Almost a year later Al Said was again caught shoplifting, this time from a branch of Marks and Spencer where she had piled 33 thick-cut sirloin, rib eye and fillet steaks into her trolley. She also had several bottles of red and white wine when she was spotted by undercover security guards. The two thefts were valued at £581.48 and £570.42, respectively. The pair have now been sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court after Al Said was found guilty of two counts of theft and Wheatcroft was convicted of one count of theft and one count of assault following last year's trial. Representing themselves, the couple from Southsea in Hampshire claimed their actions were on the 'lower end' when it came to harm. Sentencing, Judge Keith Cutler said: 'There has been some planning and a threat of use of force. 'I am satisfied this is not a case for a community order for Wheatcroft. I am satisfied it is not a case for Al Said to have a community order - I would not see her complying with unpaid work. 'The best way of dealing with it is by a financial penalty.' He described the garden centre raid as a 'serious theft', adding: 'Wholesale walking out from a shop with a trolley load of items is becoming more and more common. 'The public have called for courts to impose appropriate sentences.' Prosecution lawyers did not attend the sentencing hearing, and it emerged the couple will not have to pay towards the costs of their three-week trial at Salisbury Crown Court in Wiltshire last July. Criticising the prosecution, Judge Cutler has now said: 'Wheatcroft and Al Said have turned up but no one from the prosecution has attended. 'There is no summary from the prosecution - the prosecution have simply washed their hands of this case for reasons I do not understand or accept.' A jury heard last year that the first theft took place at Old Barn Nurseries in Horsham, West Sussex, on December 14 2021. Laura Duff, prosecuting, said loss prevention officer John Dunkling 'became aware' of a female shopper pushing a trolley around. Mr Dunkling looked at the store's CCTV and saw Al Said walking toward the shop's exit with the two bags, without paying. On her way out of the store, Al Said was stopped by another member of staff who found the shopping bags contained £400-worth of high-value spirits including Mermaid brand gin and spiced rum. The second bag contained more bottles of alcohol, Le Creuset cookware and a Le Creuset condiment set. Le Creuset is a popular French-Belgian maker of high-end cast iron cookware. The couple were asked to go back into the store and it was at this point that Wheatcroft became 'verbally aggressive' and threatened to punch Mr Dunkling, it was heard - before Wheatcroft then 'made contact with his back'. It was heard that Al Said was armed with a security tag remover which she had used to snip off and discard tags around the store. The second incident took place on September 30 2022, with Ms Duff telling how Al Said was seen walking around a Marks and Spencer store in Winchester, Hampshire. An undercover security detective spotted her loading 'packets of meat' into a trolley. Al Said tried to run away outside the outlet after security followed her but another guard 'prevented further escape', before the freezer bags in her trolley were shown to contain 33 steaks. Also in her possession were six bottles of red wine and three bottles of white wine, with investigators finding she stole M&S products worth a total ££570.42. Al Said was fined £750 for each theft offence and Wheatcroft was ordered to pay £750 for the charge of shoplifting and £250 for the assault. The couple were told they could each be sentenced to 45 days in prison if they fail to pay the penalties by December 1 this year.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Student 'so grateful' for life-changing support dog
A student who relies on walking aids due to a health condition said having her family pet trained as a support dog has changed her Riddick, 24, from Ashton Gate, Bristol, has Scheuermann's Kyphosis, an excessive curvature of the spine which left her needing a walking stick or wheelchair to move her condition worsened, Ms Riddick lost the confidence to go out alone, which led to her taking two years out of her forensic psychology degree at Bath Spa after her labrador Bleddyn was trained as a specialist disability dog by the National Support Dogs charity, she is back studying with Bleddyn by her side. Ms Riddick said she caught a train from Bristol to Chelmsford recently which is something she would "never have done" without Bleddyn by her side."I was very anxious previously [so] I would have just relied on lifts or driving myself," she she said was now "trying to get more out of my comfort zone" and having Bleddyn trained as a support dog had given her "a lot more confidence".Ms Riddick was born with Scheuermann's Kyphosis but wasn't diagnosed until 2012 after complaining about back pain from when she was was a competitive dancer and sporty before being told she needed surgery to avoid irreversible after an eight-hour thoracic spinal fusion surgery in 2019, her balance did not improve and she needed a walking got Bleddyn four years ago to help her through depression due to her condition, and was advised by a friend to look at getting him trained to support her, so she applied to Support Dogs in charity trains specialist assistance dogs to help children and adults with autism, epilepsy or a physical disability. In January this year, Ms Riddick suffered a fourth acute paralysis episode and was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) which left her needing to use a wheelchair more she said she ass "so grateful" to have Bleddyn to help with dressing, opening and closing doors, and with washing and drying can also fetch her walking stick, keys and phone and he has an alert bark and can get help if she falls."I think it's incredible, the amount of people [Support Dogs] help [and] the amount of confidence it gives people with disabilities," she said. Scoliosis Support and Research says Scheuermann's kyphosis is a condition where the front sections of the vertebrae - the small bones that make up the spine - grow more slowly than the back usually present with it from about 10-16 years of age, and often experience back pain, especially during early teenage years.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Devastated students at collapsed Scottish performing arts college get lifeline after 'challenging situation'
Final-year students linked to the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television have received some welcome news. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Final-year students signed up to a Scottish performing arts college that closed suddenly after going into liquidation have been offered a lifeline. Bath Spa University in England has confirmed it will allow final-year students at the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television, which shut with immediate effect earlier this month, to complete their studies with the institution. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Contemporary dancers at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television The decision comes after the Scottish Institute collapsed last week, leaving students 'in the dark'. The college had auditioned new students for next year's intake as recently as March before its sudden closure was confirmed. Bath Spa University had provided the accreditation for the institute's courses. A Bath Spa University spokesperson said it was 'grateful' for the patience from students and their families while working through a 'very complex and challenging situation'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are pleased to confirm that all final-year students studying for a Bath Spa University degree will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned, subject to their assessments,' the spokesperson said. 'This is great news for all those students who have worked so hard on their final performances and dissertations. For applicants and those students in their first and second years, we are in the final stages of being able to present a range of options on how they may be able to complete their studies. 'We are in regular communication with both our applicants and students, and we are planning a series of meetings over the next week where our team will be on hand to offer advice and guidance to help them determine the best option available to them.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The spokesperson said all impacted students had been offered access to Bath University's 24/7 helpline and support from the student wellbeing team. 'We know that this situation is challenging for us all, and we are doing everything we can to make decisions and move quickly to ensure minimum disruption to our students,' the spokesperson said. Before shutting with immediate effect, the Scottish Institute had moved last year from Edinburgh to a new campus in Livingston. In January, the body announced plans to invest in new student housing on the site. However, the college is understood to have not informed students before it closed suddenly last week.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Devastated students at collapsed Scottish performing arts college get lifeline after 'challenging situation'
Final-year students linked to the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television have received some welcome news. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Final-year students signed up to a Scottish performing arts college that closed suddenly after going into liquidation have been offered a lifeline. Bath Spa University in England has confirmed it will allow final-year students at the former Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television, which shut with immediate effect earlier this month, to complete their studies with the institution. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Contemporary dancers at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television The decision comes after the Scottish Institute collapsed last week, leaving students 'in the dark'. The college had auditioned new students for next year's intake as recently as March before its sudden closure was confirmed. Bath Spa University had provided the accreditation for the institute's courses. A Bath Spa University spokesperson said it was 'grateful' for the patience from students and their families while working through a 'very complex and challenging situation'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are pleased to confirm that all final-year students studying for a Bath Spa University degree will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned, subject to their assessments,' the spokesperson said. 'This is great news for all those students who have worked so hard on their final performances and dissertations. For applicants and those students in their first and second years, we are in the final stages of being able to present a range of options on how they may be able to complete their studies. 'We are in regular communication with both our applicants and students, and we are planning a series of meetings over the next week where our team will be on hand to offer advice and guidance to help them determine the best option available to them.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The spokesperson said all impacted students had been offered access to Bath University's 24/7 helpline and support from the student wellbeing team. 'We know that this situation is challenging for us all, and we are doing everything we can to make decisions and move quickly to ensure minimum disruption to our students,' the spokesperson said. Before shutting with immediate effect, the Scottish Institute had moved last year from Edinburgh to a new campus in Livingston. In January, the body announced plans to invest in new student housing on the site. However, the college is understood to have not informed students before it closed suddenly last week.
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tim Wallis obituary
My father, Tim Wallis, who has died aged 86, was a senior architect for Avon county and Bristol city councils. He specialised first in public housing but spent the majority of his career designing schools and colleges. Some of his better known buildings are the Michael Tippett Centre at Bath Spa University, and the Ralph Allen Building at Bath College. Tim studied architecture at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in the late 1950s, learning under Colin St John Wilson. There Tim explored painting, art and graphics. He was on of the Cambridge Four, which had a show in 1960, the year of his graduation, at London's New Vision Centre gallery, curated by Robert Freeman (who later found fame photographing the Beatles). For this exhibition the group received a mention in the critic Lucy R Lippard's 1966 book, Pop Art. Tim also became writer/editor for IMAGE, a magazine introducing new creative talent. Tim was born near Dudley, West Midlands, to Joan (nee Ellis) and Roy, who, after serving as a dispatch rider in the second world war, became town clerk for Monmouth. While at Monmouth school for boys, Tim became amanuensis to the composer Dennis Stoll, sparking his lifelong love of music. Tim's first architectural job was for the county borough council of Northampton, where he joined the Masque theatre as actor, programme designer and scenery painter. In 1963 he met Mary Garrett, a teacher; they married later that year. In 1965 they moved to Bristol, where Tim took a job in the county architect's department. They settled with their growing family in the garden suburb of Sea Mills, some of the first 'homes for heroes' to be built under the Addison Act and which the poet John Betjeman called 'that magic estate'. On top of his county council work, Tim was involved in his family's local school communities, including drawing the plans to refurbish Portway school's outdoor learning cottage (Pen-y-Cae) in the Black Mountains, in Wales, and helping in the redesign of Sea Mills primary school. In retirement from 1993, Tim was a knowledgable tour guide at Woodchester Mansion in the Cotswolds. He immersed himself in creative writing, set up the Sea Mills flower show and campaigned to save local libraries. In 1999 Tim launched a local newsletter, Community Voice, which he edited for 20 years. He also organised local campaign groups including Save Sea Mills Garden Suburb (SSMGS) which, in the mid-2000s, successfully reversed council plans to demolish part of the estate. In 2012 SSMGS received an English Heritage Angel award for 'the rescue of Sea Mills Conservation Area'. In recognition of his community work, in 2020 Tim was awarded the Lord Mayor's medal of Bristol. He is survived by Mary, their four children, Catie, Lucy, Becky and me, six grandchildren, Eleanor, Luke, Alex, Anna, Lucy and Wilf, and by his two sisters, Fee and Judy.
