Woman, 48, jailed for stealing handbag from elderly woman in Hythe

A 48-year-old woman from Christchurch has been jailed for two months after being found guilty of stealing an elderly woman’s handbag.

Bernadette Christina Whelan, of Dorset Road, was sentenced at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (7 March).

It follows an incident on Tuesday 7 November 2023 when the victim, aged in her 80s, was shopping at the Waitrose store on High Street, Hythe.

As she reached the checkout and went to pay for her items, she suddenly noticed her bag had been taken from her trolley.

Despite checking a previous shop she’d visited, there was no sign of her bag or its contents.

Days later, a member of the public contacted the victim to let her know that they had recovered her bag from a nearby bin. Upon inspection, £20 had been stolen, along with bank cards.

CCTV showed Whelan entering Waitrose, removing the bag from the trolley and then exiting the store.

During sentencing, the judge made clear that there was no option but to imprison Whelan. The seriousness of the offence was cited, as well as the age and vulnerability of the victim, and subsequent stress caused.

In addition to the time she will now spend behind bars, Whelan must also pay £20 compensation, £154 surcharge and £100 in Crown Prosecution Service costs.

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