Hackney crystal thief escapes jail sentence

A 71-year-old thief who stole ornamental crystals worth more than £4,000 was warned by magistrates that she could be sent to prison if caught shoplifting again.

Julia Grodinsky, from Stoke Newington, had 63 previous convictions for shoplifting, the earliest dating back to 1952.

She admitted stealing the crystals from Mysteries Bookshop in Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, and also pleaded guilty to three other counts of theft – of £196 worth of clothing from a Neal Street shop, shampoo worth £43 from a shop in Upper Street and a £23 bottle of shampoo from another Islington store.

At a sentencing hearing at Highbury Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday), prosecution counsel Terry Lavell said: “In each of these cases it is unsophisticated shoplifting. In the main these were, it would seem, non-essential goods. There seems to be no suggestion that the goods were taken to be sold on, merely for her own pleasure.”

But Laura Porteous, for the defence, said Miss Grodinsky had been diagnosed with kleptomania, adding: “Miss Grodinsky isn’t taking the items for her own pleasure. She’s essentially two people. Person number one is dishonest and has no conscience and takes things without thinking. Person number two is kind, caring and interested in animals and conservation work.”

Ms Porteous told the court that Miss Grodinsky, whose last conviction for shoplifting was 11 years ago, had consulted an expert in kleptomania when she felt she was “slipping back into this behaviour”.

In a medical report the Hampshire-based doctor described her behaviour as a “cry for help” and advised her to seek treatment on the NHS.

Ms Porteous said: “It [shoplifting] brings her into contact with the police and the courts. It’s a way of getting attention when she is feeling most isolated.”

Handing down a community order with an 18 month supervision period, Mervyn Mandell, chairman of the bench, said: “This will be a one-to-one structured supervision programme for women, specifically aimed at repeat offenders who do not have a high dependency on drugs or alcohol, and probation feel that this will be of benefit to you. If you break the order you could receive a custodial sentence.”