A brazen thief who stole fresh flowers from a dead schoolboy's grave broke down in tears as she was jailed. Leanne Slater, 39, snuck into a cemetery in Stockton, County Durham, last year and nicked the flowers from the grave of a 14-year-old.
Kieran Dixon tragically passed away in 2012 and was being visited by loved ones to mark the ten-year anniversary of his passing. Grieving mother Donna and her family laid down flowers and shared stories to pay tribute, reports TeesideLive.
The mother was devastated to learn that later that afternoon, on June 7, 2022, Slater, who is said to be a drug addict, stole three red and white bouquets from the graveyard. The crook was caught on CCTV carrying the flowers around as she left the cemetery.
A trial heard that Kieran's friend, Jessica Hart, said she first realised the flowers had been stolen after receiving a message on Facebook containing a picture of Slater carrying the flowers away in Stockton. Ms Dixon was then informed and realised where the thief was, based on the picture.
Prosecutor Anne Mitchell told the court: "Donna Dixon then attended the location and found the defendant and detained her until police arrived. She was wearing the same clothing as the female pictured leaving the cemetery with the flowers."
Ms Dixon told the court she went looking for Slater after seeing the picture. She said: "I saw her wearing the same coat and got out and confronted her. She just denied she had been anywhere near."
In the trial on Tuesday, May 9, Slater argued with the judge and broke down in tears as the court heard that she was also in breach of a suspended sentence from a previous offence.
It was said that the defendant had also tried to steal an elderly woman's handbag while shopping in Hartlepool on April 10. Prosecutor Uzma Khan said "The victim kept hold of her bag and was pulled to the floor and dragged around".
The 58-year-old woman who was attacked was left with gravel-rash and a sore hip. Slater shouted out to the court via video link: "Will you stop saying she's elderly. She's not 90!"
Judge Christopher Smith muted Slater before telling her: "Taking flowers brazenly from a graveside is a particularly cruel thing to do. This is a miserable case. One can imagine how much grief she felt when she left the flowers at the grave.
"And how much misery you caused when you stole the flowers. You just looked at them and thought, 'I could sell those. I could get a bit of cash.' You thought you'd help yourself to that handbag and you dragged your second victim around by it. You've left her shaken and in a degree of misery too."
Slater was jailed for three years and ten months for the theft of the flowers, the attempted robbery and the breach of a suspended sentence order.
Ms Dixon told Teesside Live in February after a previous hearing: "It's appalling to even stoop that low. It's not nice to steal anything but from a cemetery it's just disgusting. It was such a kick in the teeth the flowers had only been on his garden for half an hour and it was his 10th memorial.
"He was a popular kid so everyone knew where the flowers had come from so we were just absolutely gutted. It made me sick to my stomach. I understand people have problems but it just leaves you speechless to think people would do that."
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