HARTLEPOOL WOMAN GETS 30 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR THEFT AND BURGLARY
A woman who befriended a disabled man during a night out forced her way into his home and stole from him before returning weeks later to take more cash from his wallet.Joanne Swift targeted the vulnerable victim after meeting him while drinking in Hartlepool in November last year, going back to his home in the early hours and stealing £40 in cash.
The 47-year-old then returned to the victim’s house at about 11.30pm on January 30 this year, barged past him and rifled through his wallet.
Recorder Taryn Turner told Swift her record was appalling, with nearly 200 criminal offences.
Sentencing the defendant to 30 months in prison, she said: “These offences were committed against a vulnerable man with cerebral palsy who lives alone.
“These were not isolated or opportunistic acts, they show a deliberate pattern of targeting, exploitation and a complete disregard for the victim.” The judge added: "Your criminal record is appalling, you are therefore no stranger to courts and previous custodial sentences have clearly not deterred you." Swift, formerly of York Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to theft on November 15 and burglary on January 30.
Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said the theft occurred when Swift turned up at the victim’s home on St Cuthbert Street and persuaded him that she was heading out to get more booze before disappearing with his £40.
The second incident had a more sinister undertone, the court heard, when Swift turned up at the victim’s home with a man in tow in January.
He said: “She barged her way into his property, and as a sufferer of cerebral palsy, he didn’t feel he could prevent her.
The defendant was accompanied by a male who remained outside.
He realised that again £55 in cash had been taken from his wallet.
The court heard how Swift had 81 convictions for 186 offences on her record.
Michele Turner, mitigating, said her client was a well-educated woman with a degree, but had her difficulties with addiction.
Swift was also made subject to a five-year restraining order to protect her victim.
