Charity theft woman faces new sentence (From York Press)

Charity theft woman, Angel Kayler Jane Martin, faces new sentence

10:33am Saturday 12th May 2012 in Selby & Tadcaster By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

A WOMAN ordered to undertake unpaid work after stealing money at a charity fundraiser will be sentenced next month for breaching that order.

Angel Kayler Jane Martin, of Church Lane, Selby, was issued with a community order after stealing £30 float money from a charity event in the town, Selby Magistrates’ Court heard.

Martin, 21, was helping out at a fundraiser for Selby District Vision at the Abbey Leisure Centre on December 4, 2010, and was responsible for collections and selling tickets at the event, the court heard.

When one of the organisers left her handbag unattended, Martin was seen on CCTV taking money from the bag, and it was found on her when she was later arrested, the court heard.

Following her last court appearance in September last year, magistrates ordered her to undertake 100 hours unpaid work, but in January they added another 14 hours to the sentence after she failed to attend on occasions.

A probation service representative told the court Martin had failed to attend for unpaid work on April 5 and 12, and had only completed 49-and-a-half hours. But when she did turn up, she worked hard and appeared well-motivated Martin admitted failing to attend unpaid work appointments since March 29, either because she had missed a bus, been in London and, on the following two occasions, felt unwell but had not provided evidence to the court.

She told the court: “I didn’t want it to get to that point where I have to go to prison. Doing unpaid work is better than going to prison.”

Magistrate John Sutherland told Martin: “We are of the opinion that you are deliberately not engaging with the programme, and therefore we are going to pass this to a Crown Court judge to pass sentence.”

Martin will appear before York Crown Court on June 7 for sentencing.