HALIFAX WOMAN SENTENCED AFTER EXPLOITING ELDERLY PARTNER AND COMMITTING MULTIPLE CRIMES
Katie Bland from Halifax, a woman with a history of previous convictions, has been sentenced to a total of 27 months in prison for multiple offences including robbery, blackmail, fraud by false representation, and assault.The court heard that Bland, 31, who has nine prior convictions for 25 offences such as snatching an 87-year-old woman's handbag, exploited her elderly partner in a volatile relationship.
She took money from him after threatening to report him for rape, which she frequently did, and used his bank card to withdraw £40 to buy drugs.
During an incident on January 26 in Halifax town centre, she grabbed her partner by the collar, attempted to throw him around, and threatened to blackmail him for money.
When he refused, she became violent, kicking him and grabbing his bank card in a 10-minute encounter caught on CCTV.
A bystander intervened, and the police were called.
Bland pleaded guilty to the charges, and her partner, who did not seek a restraining order, stated she made him feel awful daily and was addicted to crack cocaine, which influenced her behaviour.
The judge described her actions as troubling and exploiting of vulnerable individuals, especially highlighting her pattern of exploiting her elderly partner and her prior history of victimizing vulnerable women.
Bland was initially in custody for seven months, during which she became drug-free and sought help.
Her sentence includes the activation of a previous suspended sentence, leading to an overall 27-month imprisonment, with her offering an apology in court and expressing her intention to improve.
