Great-grandmother: I shoplifted to relieve boredom of old age

A woman of 76 filled her lonely twilight years by going on shoplifting trips, a court heard. June Humphreys from Crewe would use her free bus pass to travel to shopping centres across Cheshire and Staffordshire to pilfer a wide range of goods. The great-grandmother filled her shopping trolley with items ranging from chocolate and alcohol to breast pumps and boots.

She racked up a string of convictions over the last three years but carried on regardless, telling the court she did it because she was ‘bored’ and ‘tired of being old’. On the latest occasion, Humpheys – who reportedly suffers from breast cancer and osteoarthritis – admitted stealing at least £100 worth of goods from BHS, Boots, Aldi and a shoe shop on January 6.

Probation officer Darren Vernon told the hearing: ’She knows what she is doing is wrong, she says she is bored and needs to fill her time. The main reason for her doing this is boredom. She lives alone. She has seven children but the only one she has contact with lives above her. She has acquired the record of a heroin addict in his late teens.’

She was sentenced to a month in prison – suspended for 12 months – and ordered to pay £45 towards court costs. She was also warned she faced jail if she started stealing again. Her lawyer Andrew Bennett said: ‘My client does not want to go to prison. She wants to stop doing this. She wants to stop stealing from shops.’

source: www.metro.co.uk

twilight years – az élet alkonya
shoplifting – bolti lopás
bus pass – buszbérlet

to pilfer – csenni
to range from … to … – valamettől valameddig terjed
breast pump – mellszívó
conviction – ítélet
to carry on – folytatni valamit
regardless – valamire tekintet nélkül
court – bíróság
to be tired of – elege van valamiből
to suffer from – valamilyen betegségben szenved
to admit – beismerni
to fill one’s time – kitölteni az idejét
heroin addict – heroinfüggő

to have a record = criminal record – nyilvántartott bűnöző
to be sentenced to – valamire ítélik
suspended – felfüggesztett
to face – szembenézni valamivel, számolni valamivel 

True or false?

1. June Humphreys went on shoplifting trips out of boredom.

2. This was her first offence, since being a heroin addict a long time ago.

3. June is not on good terms with her children.

4. June will have to go to prison if she commits shoplifting again.

5. Her lawyer thinks June knows what she does is wrong.

answers: 1-T 2-F 3-T 4-T 5-F

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-GB
X-NONE
X-NONE

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Department stores and no strangers to crime. They’re littered with CCTV sets ups to watch people like this lady here.

As she loads her arms with goods and wanders round the store, the camera operator starts to notice there’s on place she’s not visiting. The Till!

She couldn’t be more obvious if she had a sign on her back saying ‘I’m a lifter’!

But maybe this is a destitute young woman, cold on a winters eve unable to pay for the clothes she so desperately needs to keep warm.

O maybe it’s multi millionaire and acclaimed actress Winona Rider gathering up six grands worth of designer clobber and waltzing out the door. Yep you guessed it, it’s a Hollywood star who doesn’t need any of this stuff and certainly doesn’t need to steel it! Seriously though, what were her chances of getting away with it.