Mansfield women stole bank card - and went on spending spree giving to the homeless

Two homeless Mansfield women stole a bank card and went on an early-morning spending spree - buying food and tobacco for other rough sleepers.
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Mansfield Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday, December 20, that Sally Ann Brentnall, 41, and Jordanna Bird, 37, both of no fixed address, stole the woman’s bag on the evening of May 13 after she stopped to talk to them on a night out.

The court heard that the victim had been drinking and only had limited recollection of the theft, but she told police that she had stopped and bought the pair water, and then described shouting after them as they disappeared with her handbag, which contained the card.

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The pair first went to McDonalds where they racked up a £29.20 breakfast bill, before entering several shops around the town centre, buying tobacco and other items.

Mansfield Magistrates' Court where Sally Ann Bentnall and Jordanna Bird appearedMansfield Magistrates' Court where Sally Ann Bentnall and Jordanna Bird appeared
Mansfield Magistrates' Court where Sally Ann Bentnall and Jordanna Bird appeared

Bird admitted one count of fraud while Brentnall, who the court identified as the driving force behind the crime admitted four counts.

The pair managed to spend more than £100 before the card was stopped, the court heard.

Mitigating for Brentnall, Chris Lacey said: “She is homeless and she has been homeless for the past couple of years and she is struggling with drugs. She stays in a hostel but is only allowed in between 8pm and 8am the following morning.

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“The money was actually used for other homeless people. She bought breakfast for some of them and she bought cigarettes which she shared as well. I’m not suggesting that she’s some kind of modern day Robin Hood, but that is the essence of it.”

Mitigating for Ball, Morgan Hogarth said she had come to Mansfield after escaping an abusive relationship in Leicester, and had left her children behind.

He added that she had initially thought that the bank card belonged to Brentnall and only realised it had been stolen when she tried to use it in a shop and it was rejected.

Ball was given a 12-month conditional discharge by magistrates, while Brentnall was given a 12-month community order with rehabilitation days, after she expressed her wish to get off drugs. The victim was compensated by her bank.