Garden centre locks up Jellycats after woman caught stuffing toys down trousers

A garden centre shop has been forced to lock up a collection of pricey soft toys after they were targeted by shoplifters for the second time this year.

St Peter's Garden Centre in Worcester have had to put all their Jellycats behind a glass cabinet as an extra security measure. In the first incident on June 7, Samantha Lawrence nicked a number of the plush toys from the shop - totalling a huge £655.79p.

The brazen thief stashed them in shopping bags before stuffing them down her trousers. Not content with her initial haul, she then visited The Valley shopping centre in Evesham the following day where she stole Jellycats worth £121.68p.

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She later returned to the same centre and nabbed a further £170.81p of Jellycats, which come in variety cute guises, from fruit to animals and even sports equipment. The 38-year-old, of Evesham Road in Norton, pleaded guilty to the three thefts on August 8 at Worcester Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Lauren Millichip told the court that Lawrence had stolen Jellycats worth a total of £948.28. She added: "Officers attended her address and found a quantity of Jellycats, some of which she said she had bought.

"She told officers she had gone into the stores with the intention of stealing the Jellycats." CCTV footage at the garden centre shows Lawrence, wearing a large coat and long scarf for cover, taking the toys from the shelves before leaning forward and appearing to adjust her trousers while she put the items down them.

She is then seen quickly leaving the centre while apparently on a phone call. The court heard that the footage of Lawrence’s crimes went viral online, which caused her “mental health to suffer”.

Chris Aggri, defending, said she was on a cocktail of medication for her anxiety. He noted: "She has been targeted on social media and her mental health has suffered as a result. She has learned her lesson and is deeply remorseful."

Lawrence was ordered to pay a compensation of £657.79 to St Peter's and £292.49 to The Valley. She was also fined £120 with a £48 victim surcharge.

William Blake, managing director of St Peter's Garden Centre, previously said: "We were deeply disappointed by the incident, where a significant amount of stock - over £400 worth of Jellycat toys - was stolen from our store. As an independent, family-run business, every loss impacts not just our shelves but the hard-working team behind the scenes.

"Our staff work tirelessly to create a warm and welcoming environment for all visitors, and it's disheartening when that is taken advantage of. We're co-operating fully with local authorities and we'd like to thank our customers for the response to the video and all their continued support."

In the most recent theft incident, two women were caught on CCTV working together to steal the the toys. One took the items from the shelves while the other acted as a getaway driver.

A woman is seen quickly throwing the toys into tote bags as her accomplice walked around the car park. The pair then met at either side of the centre's landscaping gate as the bags were thrown from one to the other before escaping.