A TROUBLESOME woman who was banned from entering parts of Malvern for stealing from vulnerable and elderly people breached her injuction order less than a week after it was ordered.
Malvern Safer Neighbourhood Team and Fortis Living secured an Injunction Order against Marie Baker who had commited a number of thefts and according to witness statements ‘preyed on vulnerable people, had no intention of being friendly and just wanted to take money from people’.
The order, which will remain active for two years and stops Baker living or entering parts of Malvern, was issued on December 17 but police announced the 36-year-old breached the order on December 23 which led to her arrest and being sent to prison for one day.
Just a week before the order was given out, Baker was evicted from a property in Marsh Close after being found to be in breach of regulations under the 1998 Housing Act. She was ordered to pay costs of more than £1,000 and to give up possession of her home.
Evidence collected by police stated Baker had been a resident in Marsh Close since 2004.
In August she was convicted of three theft offences against vulnerable adults living with the Pickersleigh ward of Malvern. This included the theft of £10 from a 57-year-old for whom Baker offered to do shopping for but never returned with his money or the shopping she had offered to help him with.
The charges prompted police and Fortis Living to look into her behaviour in the community over a longer peiod of time.
According to court evidence presented to the injuction order case by West Mercia police, it is alleged she had obtained around £600 of savings belonging to an 86-year-old with dementia who had also been ‘befriended’ by her.
Malvern based police officer David Wise, who led the witness evidence against Baker, said: “This has been a huge undertaking for both Fortis Living and Malvern Safer Neighbourhood Team but we are very pleased with what we have achieved together to protect residents in the Pickersleigh ward.”
“Due to the vulnerabilities of the affected residents, it has not always been possible to identify and progress potential criminal matters to court – but with the support of Fortis Living we have been able to compile an extremely strong case against Miss Baker to secure both her eviction from the area and an injunction to prohibit her from undesirable behaviour in the area where she has caused the most harm”
“I’d like to thank Fortis Living officers for their tenacity and professionalism in taking this case forward to Court and also Worcester County Court for taking the necessary steps to curb Miss Baker’s behaviour and protect a long suffering community from further harm.”
Sue Heelas, assistant director of housing and communities at Fortis Living added: “In cases like this we always have to consider the impact on the wider community. This type of action is a last resort but in this case it was necessary to allow other residents to enjoy their homes and neighbourhoods in peace.”
