Debt-ridden mum-of-six deceives delivery driver to steal £592 Littlewoods parcel
Mum-of-six Lisa Gardiner stole a parcel - before it was delivered to an address. North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard the 44-year-old was a passenger on a motorcycle which stopped outside an address on Furlong Road, in Tunstall, on June 12.
She got off and collected the parcel as it was delivered to a property in the street. But the mum of the intended recipient saw the transaction take place.
She spoke to the defendant who said the woman's daughter had arranged for it to be delivered to her house and for her to collect it. But when the woman checked the story with her daughter she had no knowledge of the arrangement.
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The parcel contained items from Very and Littlewoods totalling £592.99. The police became involved and Gardiner was arrested. She said she was asked to receive it by the person she was with at the time. She would not disclose the person's identity.
Gardiner, of Nellan Crescent, Smallthorne, pleaded guilty to theft of property from a delivery driver by deceiving the driver.
Osman Mahmood, mitigating, said Gardiner accepts the parcel was not meant for her. She owed a £500 debt to unknown men and they told her what she had to do.
Mr Mahmood added: "She was told her role was to simply collect the parcel from the delivery driver before it reached the person's address. She was a passenger on a motorcycle. She was told to get off, collect the parcel from the driver before it reached the address. She was told her debt would be paid off."
Magistrates fined Gardiner £80 and ordered her to pay £592.19 compensation, £85 costs, and a £32 surcharge.
Magistrate Chris Rushton said: "You must have known what you were doing was not legal. You were on somebody else's property and receiving an unknown parcel."