A thief has been condemned to a spell behind bars following an epic shoplifting spree in which she targeted a Harry Potter shop in York.
Kim Foster, 34, targeted several outlets in York during a year of thieving, including The Shop That Must Not Be Named, the Harry Potter-themed store on Shambles.
She ultimately admitted 11 counts of shoplifting and one count of fraud worth over £2,600. The offences occurred between March 2024 and February this year.
Her partner, Frankie Barker, 30, pleaded guilty to two shoplifting offences which were committed jointly with Foster including the £400 theft of sweet treats from Hotel Chocolat in York on January 24.
The couple, of Knotto Bottom Close, Northallerton, appeared for sentence at York Magistrates’ Court on Friday (8 August).
The thieving pair were captured on CCTV which led to their identification and subsequent arrest.
Prosecutor Nathan Hudson said that on New Year’s Day this year, Foster stole a cashmere scarf and two lambswool stoles worth £202 from the Kiltane clothing store in Stonegate, York.
On 24 January, she stole £400 of choccies from Hotel Chocolat in Stonegate and on the same day pinched another £400 of sweet treats from the shop’s branch in The Shambles.
On that very same lucrative day for Foster, she walked out of The Shop That Must Not Be Named, also on The Shambles, with £35 of Harry Potter-themed items.
On 21 December last year, she targeted Hotel Chocolat’s Northallerton branch in High Street, this time opting for the shop’s Dark Cabinet Chocolate Selection and, in keeping with the festive season, the Christmas Sleekster Chocolate Selection.
She also stole a velvetiser hot-chocolate maker. This haul alone was worth a combined £309.85.
There were numerous other thefts in Northallerton during the mammoth thieving spree including one in June 2024 when Foster went into the Seasalt clothing store in the town centre and told staff she’d lost a store gift card worth £65.95 which she never had.
That incident gave rise to the fraud offence.
Court outburst
Mr Hudson said that Foster, a prolific shoplifter, had 17 previous convictions for 29 offences including going equipped for theft. Her latest conviction was in March when she and Barker received a suspended prison sentence for separate shop thefts.
Barker had 20 previous convictions for 67 offences, of which 56 were thefts dating back to 2012. He had been to prison “many times” before.
Solicitor David Camidge, representing both defendants, said that Foster had endured a traumatic recent past and Barker had stolen to fund his substance misuse. They were both on benefits.
Deputy District Judge Imran Hussain excoriated the prolific thieves for their “very poor” shoplifting records and their stealing of “relatively high value” items from multiple retail businesses while they were subject to court orders from previous offences.
He added: “There is a problem in this country with thieves stealing from shops and stores.”
He said that Foster was the “lead” offender in both joint thefts with Barker and, notwithstanding her mental-health issues and traumatic personal life, the only appropriate sentence in her case was one of immediate custody because there was “no realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.
Foster was jailed for 28 weeks – roughly seven months – and Barker was jailed for 12 weeks. He was shouting and swearing immediately upon sentence being passed, telling dock officers: “Don’t touch me! I’m not going to prison. I want to speak to my solicitor.”
Extra security officers were brought into Courtroom 1 as the outburst continued, but Barker eventually relented, the dock officers placed cuffs on his hands and he was led down to the cells.
