A credit card fraudster who escaped from police wh
A credit card fraudster who escaped from police when they discovered an ‘Aladdins Cave’ of stolen goods was jailed for 18 months at the Old Bailey today.
(Fri)
Deborah Smallhorn, 36, was surrounded by the booty when officers raided a pal’s home in Kingston, Surrey.
But the mother-of-one fled after officers cataloguing the hoard of loot left her alone in an upstairs bedroom, the court heard.
Andrew Rutter, prosecuting, said police pursued Smallhorn and an accomplice after they used stolen credit cards to buy high value computer equipment from Dixons on October 13 last year.
The pair used one of the cards to buy a Nintendo Pokemon computer game system and phone vouchers at the store in the High St, Kingston.
They then selected a computer worth pnds stlg 1,300 with the other card.
The pair arranged to collect the equipment later that day, but foolishly left Smallhorn’s mobile phone details as a contact number.
Dixons discovered the goods had been paid for with stolen credit cards, and Smallhorn’s partner was arrested when she returned to collect them.
Crack-addict Smallhorn was discovered by officers when they raided her accomplice’s house in Block Rd, Kingston.
At first she gave cops the false name of Deborah Jane, but police soon found out her true identity.
‘Police discovered an Aladdins Cave as a result of her accomplice’s activities and it took them four hours to bag and remove what they believe were stolen items,’ said Mr Rutter.
Officers arrested Smallhorn but she was not handcuffed, the court heard.
‘Miss Smallhorn was left unattended in a upstairs bedroom,’ said counsel.
‘She simply walked down the stairs and ran away.
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Smallhorn was on the run for four months until police tracked her down in February this year.
She was found to be carrying a small quantity of cannabis and a stolen bus pass at the time of her arrest.
Smallhorn, of St Mark Rise, Dalston, had admitted obtaining property by deception, attempted deception, escape, theft and possession of cannabis.
The court heard the drug-addict received a three year jail term for burglary in 1995.
In April 1998 she was sentenced to three months for deception and received a similar term for theft in 1999.
Defence counsel Siobhan Grey said Smallhorn, a crack cocaine addict for 15 years, fled the police in panic because she feared taking the blame for her friend’s criminal activities.
Miss Grey added: ‘In relation to the deception charges, these are clearly unsophisticated.
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Jailing Smallhorn today Mr Recorder William Clegg QC told her: ‘I’m told and I am sure it is true that you have been addicted to crack cocaine for something like 15 years and it’s clearly ruined your life and continues to do so.
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The judge added:’I strongly suspect the reason for your offending on October 13 was that you and your accomplice obtained property that could be sold to buy drugs to satisfy your respective addictions.
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Smallhorn received 18 months for attempted deception, nine months for deception, three months for the escape, seven days for theft, and a fine of a pound or a day’s jail for possession of the cannabis.
All sentences are to run concurrently.
ends
