Callous burglar jailed for raiding home of pensioners and stealing betrothed couple's wedding rings

A callous burglar, who raided the home of a pensioner and stole wedding rings from a couple that were seven weeks away from getting married, has been jailed.
A callous burglar, who raided the home of a pensioner and stole wedding rings from a couple that were seven weeks away from getting married, has been jailed.A callous burglar, who raided the home of a pensioner and stole wedding rings from a couple that were seven weeks away from getting married, has been jailed.
A callous burglar, who raided the home of a pensioner and stole wedding rings from a couple that were seven weeks away from getting married, has been jailed.

In the early hours of June 8 this year, Toni Bell broke into the home of a retired couple living in Salisbury Road, Maltby through a small kitchen window that had been left open, Sheffield Crown Court was told.

When the couple went downstairs later that morning they found a number of items had been stolen from their home including a television worth £300, commemorative coins, £600 in cash that the couple had been saving for a holiday, two tablet computers, a digital camera and a mobile phone.

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Prosecuting, Stephanie Hollis told the court how Bell, of Albert Street, Rotherham broke into the home of a young couple living in Maltby the following day on June 9.

The 27-year-old broke in through a window in their conservatory, and once inside she stole a number of items including a designer Mulberry handbag worth £1,000, an iPad and the couple's wedding rings that they were due to give to each other on their wedding day in July this year.

In total, Bell stole items to the value of £5,290 from the couple's home.

The following day Bell went to a branch of Cash Converters in High Street, Maltby where she sold an iPad, a tablet computer and a digital camera for £40.

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Police arrested Bell at her home address on June 10 on suspicion of burglary.

Some of the items stolen by Bell, such as one of the wedding rings, were recovered - but many of them have still not been found.

In statements read out in court, the pensioners Bell had stole from explained how they had been left 'devastated' by the burglary and were particularly upset that the photos on the digital camera and phone she stole were lost to them forever.

The young couple were similarly upset in the wake of the burglary, the court was told.

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Defending, Richard Adams, said Bell had experienced a difficult upbringing, that saw her passed from family member to family member, and even placed into the care of heroin addicts.

Mr Adams said that she had enjoyed a period of stability as a result of a two year relationship, but after it ended her life had begun to spiral out of control once again - which had led to her taking heroin again.

In her mitigation, Mr Adams added that Bell had given Cash Converters her real name and address when she could have provided them with false ones.

Recorder Ray Singh sentenced Bell to two years in prison.

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