A “selfish” woman took advantage of a vulnerable widow by stealing the trusting victim’s wedding and eternity rings and pawning them to raise cash for heroin, Hull Live reports. The two women had been close friends but “desperate” drug addict Claire Cumming repeatedly pestered her for money before turning up at her door late one night to plead for more cash.
She finally persuaded the retired woman to hand over the wedding ring off her finger by falsely promising to return it the next day, Hull Crown Court heard. Cumming now claims she has beaten drugs and is “more than just a surname and a number” after being in prison while on remand.
She had been a drug addict for 26 years since the age of 17 but insists drugs are no longer on her “radar”. Cumming, 43, of Hykeham Close, Kingswood, Hull, admitted fraud and two offences of theft.
