By Mali Sapsed Foster
A man quickly changed his plea to guilty after CCTV footage was revealed in the Highbury Corner Magistrates Court of him stealing a women’s pram from a nursery, mere hours after she dropped off her child.
Peter Maroney, a resident of Queens Crescent, was caught red-handed by surveillance cameras as he stole the £300 pram, a necessity for a mother with a young child.
On Thursday the 5th of May 2022 at 8:30am, CCTV footage showed the complainant, Ms Gonzalez, dropping her toddler at the nursery and leaving the pram in the side passage of the building before exiting.
The footage later showed Maroney noticing the unattended pram at 17:20 PM as he cycled past – and then cycling off with it after circling back.
Maroney is now under an immediate custodial sentence, which, since his guilty plea, has been reduced from seven weeks to five.
Magistrates put his crime in a higher category due to the planned aspect of the theft, despite stating the case as an opportunistic case of general theft.
The court heard there has been no indication that the complainant received any compensation or her pram back.
Due to Maroney’s financial debts, Magistrates concluded there be no award at court or compensation.
Maroney will be on licence after charge and has been ordered to pay a surcharge of £128 to be paid after his release.
Leave a Reply