Bassetlaw woman stole from pensioner and childhood friends to feed drug addiction

Rebecca Simmonite pried a downstairs window open and climbed into an address on Serlby Park Drive, Bircotes, on July 12, last year, said Annabelle Lenton, prosecuting.She stole a Samsung phone valued at £850 and was later captured on CCTV at Cash Converters selling it for £50.Three days later she barged uninvited into the Essex Drive home of a woman she grew up with and stole a black Gucci bag containing a bank card, a driving licence and £250 in cash.She stole £45 in cash while staying at the home of another childhood friend on July 26.Simmonite was on bail when she struck again on September 25, this time preying on an elderly woman who lives alone.She took a handbag containing £60 in cash when she turned up and asked to use the toilet but was arrested a few days later.

Nottingham Crown Court heard she has 26 previous convictions for 48 offences including burglary, fraud, and theft.Digby Johnson, mitigating, said Simmonite, who has served ten months in custody on remand, is "committed to getting back on track" and hopes to re-establish links with her teenage daughter.He said she will live with her grandmother and is now on a waiting list for eye treatment.Judge Mark Watson told her: "It seems to me, given everything I have read about you and your motivation, and the grip you appear to have on your drug addiction, you now present as someone who wants to improve."Simmonite, aged 44, formerly of Cumberland Close, Bircotes, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and burglary at Nottingham Magistrates Court on July 27.On Tuesday the judge imposed a two-year community order "as a direct alternative to custody," with 25 rehabilitation days and a nine-month drug requirement.

She must also abide by a three-month curfew from 7pm to 7am to assist her transition back into the community."It's entirely up to you whether you come back before me," Judge Watson told her. "I genuinely hope for your sake you take this opportunity."