Jailed: Bernadette Whelan snatched elderly shopper’s handbag from trolley at Waitrose in Hythe

STEALING an elderly shopper’s handbag resulted in a Christchurch woman being jailed for two months.

Bernadette Whelan (48), of Dorset Road, was found guilty of having committed the theft at Waitrose in Hythe on 7th November 2023.

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard Whelan targeted the woman, who is in her 80s, as she shopped in the High Street store.

The victim noticed her bag had been snatched from her trolley when she reached the checkout to pay for her items.

Having carried out a fruitless search for it and its contents at a previous shop she had visited, she was alerted to their discovery days later.

A member of the public had contacted her to let her know they had retrieved her bag from a nearby bin.

Checking the bag, the victim established £20 had been stolen, along with bank cards.

CCTV from Waitrose showed Whelan entering, removing the bag from the trolley and then leaving the store.

Sentencing Whelan, the judge told her custody was the only option due to the offence’s seriousness, the victim’s age and vulnerability, and subsequent stress caused.

As well as the prison term, the defendant was ordered to pay £20 compensation and £254 in court charges.