Model tries to steal £1,000 of goods in Harrods but magistrate says: You’re so talented I’ll let you off
AFTER being caught trying to waltz out of Harrods with £1,000 of designer goodies, Natalia Sikorska might well have been warned to expect jail.
Instead, as the Polish model stood in court, she found herself being praised by a magistrate for her ‘intelligence’ and ‘considerable talents’.
Triggering a row over soft justice, Grant McCrostie told her the court was going to deal with her ‘more leniently than we should’ and handed her a conditional discharge.
Last night, the let- off was criticised online as farcical. A Twitter user called Laraine said: ‘We all have talents, let’s get to Harrods and shoplift, what a joke!!’
Andrew Jones tweeted: ‘Absolute b*******. Precedent now set. This should help all future thieves.’
And a man called Rodka added: ‘Surprised the [magistrate] didn’t give her some M&S vouchers!’
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that Sikorska, 28, attempted to make off with a Markus Lupfer jacket, a pair of Claudie Pierlot shoes, a Pinko handbag and a silver knife from Harrods on July 5. But the student was stopped before she left the Knightsbridge store with the £959.50 haul. She is currently studying business management and economics at the University of Westminster.
After she admitted attempted theft, magistrate Mr McCrostie praised her intellect. He said: ‘You are a newcomer to this country, you are a student with a place at university. You are obviously a woman of considerable talents, you are obviously intelligent.
‘Taking goods from any store, including Harrods is wrong. Your future has been put at risk by these actions.
‘Because of the fact that you pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and you do have a potentially bright future, we will deal with this more leni- ently than we should have. It will be a conditional discharge for a period of 12 months.’ Mr McCrostie said if Sikorska stays out of trouble for that period she will not face any further punishment. He said: ‘Do not abuse the opportunity we have given you, stay out of trouble.’
She replied: ‘Thank you so much.’ The maximum sentence for theft that can be handed down by a magistrates’ court is six months’ imprisonment. Sikorska has continued posting photos of herself on her public Instagram account after last month’s offence. She appears to have taken a holiday to Crete just days after the theft, while her latest posts are from a photoshoot in New York.
She leads a jet set lifestyle and has posted photos from Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas in recent months.
in Just Harrods,days Sikorskaafter being posted caught on Instagram: ‘Every nightmare has a beginning, but every bad day has an end.’
She added: ‘Cause the point is to learn from it.’ The items the model attempted to steal usually retail for hundreds of pounds. As well as being a model, actor and student, Sikorska works as an interpreter and studied psychology at the University of Warsaw. She also works as a business development manager for drinks bottle manufacturer Aquatiser and has worked as a sales associate with a variety of luxurious brands, including Saint Laurent Paris, Globe Trotter and Hugo Boss. As well as the conditional discharge, Sikorska, of Chelsea, West London, was ordered to pay £ 85 costs and a £ 20 victim surcharge.
‘Obviously intelligent’