A couple took advantage of a friend’s kindness, stealing her belongings after being offered a place to stay for the night
Manchester: So, there’s this couple, John and Aileen, who were down on their luck. They were living on the streets when a friend decided to help them out by offering a room for the night. Sounds nice, right? But the next morning, they were gone, and so was her TV, make-up, and even her prescription meds.
Turns out, both of them were struggling with serious drug addictions. Aileen was spending around £60 a day on heroin. John had a long rap sheet with 118 offenses, including stealing stuff like laundry boosters and coffee just to feed his habit.
When they got caught, the judge had some harsh words for John. He warned him that if he kept this up, he’d either end up in prison for life or dead before hitting 50. Ouch!
In court, the prosecutor laid out their crimes. Back in April, John was caught on camera stuffing bottles of laundry scent boosters into his bag at an Aldi store. Then, in May, he threatened a store manager when confronted about his shoplifting. Not cool!
Things didn’t stop there. In August, he shoplifted twice in one day from a Co-op. Then, when their friend offered them a place to stay, they took advantage of her kindness. She came back to find her stuff missing, including her TV and some wine.
The judge called it out for what it was: taking advantage of someone’s generosity in a really mean way. Over the next few months, they were seen sneaking into apartment buildings and stealing packages. One victim was devastated to find her Christmas gift stolen, saying it made her feel unsafe in her own home.
Eventually, the police found them camping out in a tent. Aileen had a morphine tablet on her when they were arrested. They both pleaded guilty to multiple charges, and the judge had to deal with their long histories of theft.
John got 22 months in prison, while Aileen received a suspended sentence of 16 months. She has to go through a drug rehab program and other requirements. The judge told her he hoped this was the last time he’d see her in court. John agreed, saying, “So do I, mate.”
