Surveillance Teddy nabs granny-bag robber
Part soft toy, part robot - all cop
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
An NHS care assistant who stole from a grandmother dying of cancer was nabbed in the act by an electronically enhanced teddy bear, according to reports.
The Guardian brings us the news that Yvonne Allen, 28, of Halewood, Liverpool, admitted two counts of theft last week and agreed to pay back the stolen £60. The larcenous healthcare worker was given a six-month stretch in the slammer, and has lost her job with Liverpool Primary Care Trust Provider Services.
Allen was snared by an electronic teddy deployed by Emma Sampson, granddaughter of Thelma Sampson, after grandmother Thelma reported cash missing from her handbag. Robert Sampson, Emma's father, told the Guardian:
"My mother has end-stage leukaemia and we had to get a carer in who worked for the primary care trust. The next day my mum said £40 had gone out of her purse.
"I said 'Are you sure?' and she said 'I may be dying but I know how much money I had in my handbag'."
The crime-busting Sampsons rigged up a surveillance sting in which a teddy bear's eyeball was replaced with a miniature security camera and the serial numbers of £20 notes in Thelma's purse were noted. The mock-ursine CCTV platform swiftly delivered the goods.
"We thought it would be a long process," said Sampson, "but [Allen] was greedy. We called the police and showed them the footage and gave them the serial numbers."
Justice was swift, with the medical miscreant braceleted and hauled before the beak in short order. ®
COMMENTS
ROTM
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a cuddly paw stamping on a human face … for ever."
Length of stretch
You can't comment on the length of the stretch without knowing on what basis the decision was made. For example did the accused ask for umpteen seperate offences to be taken into account?
Also the length of the sentence would be decided in accordance with the circumstances. Some chav walking in through an unlocked door and lifting the cash would probably have got a more lenient sentence, but somebody in a position of trust should get a longer sentence.
As for the CCTV being admissable in court, it wouldn't necessarilly have been used. The fact that she had in her possession the notes with the recorded serial numbers should be evidence enough to secure a conviction.
Robobear
"You've come down to the woods today - prepare for a big surprise..."
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