Exclusive:Woman due to be sentenced for almost £1,000 in shoplifting offences 'panicked' as she flees court
“I think she has panicked, and gone away again,” her solicitor said.
A woman who was meant to be sentenced for a flurry of shoplifting offences ran away from court before she could learn her fate.
Lauren Elliott, from Carberry Court, Havant, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of shoplifting, dated between July 2025 and May 2026. In total, she stole just shy of £1,000 from various convenience stores and supermarkets. Wine, meat, cheese and coffee topped the shopping lists of her ill-gotten gains, as Elliott stole from the likes of One Stop, Tesco, B&M and Waitrose.
At Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday, August 13), the 31-year-old was due to be sentenced for her crimes, which also included one count of common assault, and one count of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour.
District Judge David Robinson asked the court usher to check if Elliott had arrived, to which the answer was no; he was also told that this hearing was a deferred sentence. But as he began to draw up a warrant for her arrest, the court was told that she was now in the building.
It then transpired that Elliott left the courthouse just as quickly as she had arrived.
Representing the defendant, solicitor Lian Webster said: “I think she has panicked, and gone away again. I would rather seek a warrant, but cannot oppose a sentence in her absence.”
Judge Robinson said: “In that case, I am going to issue a warrant [for her arrest].”
Once Elliott is arrested, she will be brought before the court, via custody, for sentencing.