Woman, 28, jailed after spate of thefts from care home and friend’s house

Southampton Crown Court heard how Ellie-May Barbara Hinton, 28, of Leah Gardens, Eastleigh, had visited a friend’s address in the Netley Abbey area to use their swimming pool on Monday 10 August 2020.

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The homeowners noticed a number of pieces of jewellery had gone missing and contacted Ellie Hinton and her partner to ask if they had taken anything – which at the time was denied.

A few days later Hinton’s partner located items of jewellery in his home he did not recognise and invited one of the homeowners around to check if they were the items of jewellery that had been stolen from their house. The victim confirmed it was their jewellery.

Another search of the house located a number of pieces of jewellery that were not recognised by Hinton’s partner as well as receipts for local pawnbrokers where jewellery had been sold; resulting in suspicions being raised they had been stolen from residents at Netley Court Care Home where Hinton worked.

Hinton was arrested on 15 October 2020 and admitted to stealing the jewellery from the homeowners as well as residents at Netley Court Care Home – providing the names of those whom she had stolen from.

She was later charged with 16 counts of theft and pleaded guilty at a hearing at Southampton Crown Court on Friday 2 June.

As part of the enquiries, a number of items of jewellery were identified and seized from various pawnbrokers in Southampton in which Hinton had sold to them. These are due to be returned to their known owners.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, Hinton was sentenced to two years in prison. Hannah Daish, who led the investigation, said: “The impact the thefts have had on its victims should not be understated, and these crimes were understandably distressing to the people impacted.

“Hinton preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in the community, with some of the victims suffering from dementia – so it is likely that they were not even aware that the thefts had taken place.

“This investigation started at a time where due to Covid restrictions being in place, no family members were able to visit the care home to check on their loved ones and check their possessions.

“No one should be made to feel unsafe in an environment where they are being cared for by a person in a position of trust.

“Sadly some of the victims have now passed away, but I am hopeful that the news of the sentencing brings a sense of justice for the victims and families affected by Hinton’s crimes.

“Ellie-May Hinton has now been sentenced for her crimes and now has the opportunity to reflect on her actions, learn from her crimes and understand the impact it has had on her victims."