‘She didn’t come to England to be a thief’: Woman used well-known technique to steal from shop

A woman used a well-known technique to steal products from a town chemist – but was unable to evade the authorities for long.Elena Curt, 28, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where she admitted two counts of theft from a shop.The court heard that on March 23, she entered a Boots store in Lynn before selecting a series of items and placing them in a basket.

She then picked up a packet of nappies and used it to cover the other products, which included cosmetics, suncream and baby formula.Curt then moved to a blind spot in the store, and left the premises without making any attempt to pay. The stolen products were no longer in the basket, although the nappies had been left in it.A staff member at Boots later reported that Curt’s technique of using the nappies to conceal other items has been utilised by thieves at the store previously. Curt then proceeded to walk to a nearby Poundland, where staff received information that she matched the description of someone wanted for the first theft.While in the store, Curt stole washing pods. A member of staff attempted to delay her until the police arrived, and managed to do so.She was subsequently arrested and taken into custody. Magistrates handed Curt a six-month conditional discharge when she appeared in court, while she will also pay £85 in legal costs and a £26 victim surcharge.No application was made by the affected stores for compensation, so none was awarded. Mitigating, duty solicitor George Sorrell said that Curt, of Lincoln Road in Peterborough, lives with a partner and three children.“At the times of these offences, the family were very short of money, and that is what persuaded her to shoplift in Lynn,” he said.“A large number of items were found on her, but the value of other items is unknown.“She came here from Romania some years ago. She would like you to know that she didn’t come to England to be a thief, but times have been difficult from time to time.”The court heard that Curt was a woman of previous good character, although she had received one caution for shoplifting in Cambridgeshire back in 2021.