Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Fears of pregnant robber set to give birth behind bars
Six-year jail sentence for expectant mum
A heavily pregnant mum who used sex as bait to rob a vulnerable man faces having her baby taken from her when it’s born in prison.
Former Canterbury College student Hollie Cheeseman, 32, will give birth behind bars after being jailed for six years for her part in the honeytrap scam. The prison she is detained in has a mother and baby unit, but children are only permitted to stay there for a maximum of 18 months.
As she was led to the cells, Cheeseman told a family member in the public gallery “I’ve lost it (the baby), I’ve lost it”. Canterbury Crown Court head heard how the mother-of-one tricked her victim into going back to her flat in Greenhill, near Herne Bay, to have sex. But after the pair undressed, Cheeseman’s boyfriend, Jeremy Long, 41, burst into the bedroom with a knife and threatened to cut the man’s genitals off. The duo then proceeded to rob and falsely imprison their victim, stealing from him a TV, phone, and PS4 games console. Cheeseman’s barrister James Cartwright pleaded with a judge to give Cheeseman a lesser sentence so she could keep her baby.
“If she were given a four-year sentence she will lose custody of her child, which is going to be born soon,” he said. “She is a warm-hearted person if she wants to be, and to deprive her of her child is not a punishment at all, it’s just cruelty. “I’m going to ask you as a matter of mercy to give her a sentence of less than four years.” But Judge Catherine Brown said Cheeseman had shown “a lack of remorse and empathy”. She told her: “Not surprisingly given your history, whether you will be permitted to see your child once he or she is born is far from certain, although there is a mother and baby unit in the prison at which you are detained. In any event, a child can only remain for a maximum of 18 months. “Whether or not you keep your baby, the fact that you will give birth as a serving prisoner is a factor I take into account.” Long was also sentenced, asking Judge Brown to take into account three outstanding offences - two for shoplifting and one for carrying a knife. His barrister, Phil Rowley, highlighted his client’s remorse for his part in the honeytrap robbery.
He continued: “Unfortunately there was a traumatic event in his youth. He began a relationship with illicit drugs which has remained a problem in his life. Since being in custody he’s addressed his use of drugs.” Mr Rowley added Long has also reflected on his mental health problems since being in custody.
Long admitted two counts of robbery, false imprisonment and having a bladed article at a previous hearing, He was also jailed for six years on Friday. C h e e s e ma n d e n i e d the charges, claiming she was leading a double life as a prostitute and had intended to have sex with the victim for money. But a jury convicted her unanimously of two counts of robbery and false imprisonment.
‘She is a warmhearted person if she wants to be, and to deprive her of her child is not a punishment at all, it’s just cruelty’