Woman jailed for conning jeweller out of £10,000 worth of items

A WOMAN who conned an Edinburgh jeweller out of almost £10,000 worth of valuable items was today locked up for nine months.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard Nicole Saunders, 55, visited a jeweller at the city's Easter Road posing as a buyer from Barbados and placed a large order.

The court heard at a later date Saunders and jeweller Ali Yenidogon travelled to a hotel where the accused was to get money for the order.

Saunders had been carrying the items in a handbag and at the hotel she excused herself but failed to return.

The jeweller contacted police and the court heard 8,000 worth of the items was recovered.

Saunders admitted obtaining 9,250 worth of jewellery by fraud between 26 September and 28 September last year at an address at Easter Road, Edinburgh.

She also admitted stealing a ring from a flat at Barnton Grove, Edinburgh, on 31 August last year, stealing items from Stock X Change, Young Street, Edinburgh, on 2 October last year and having a passport that belonged to another person on 5 October last year at the city's St Leonards Police Station.

The court heard Saunders, of Cornton Vale Prison, suffered from psychiatric difficulties and that this went someway to explaining why she carried out the offences.

Sheriff Graeme Warner back dated Saunders' jail term to 6 October last year and recommended her for deportation to Trinidad and Tobago after she has served her sentence.