Oldham thief spared jail for her 218th crime
WOMAN KNOWN FOR RAIDING LOCKERS BREAKS BAN ON GOING INTO LEISURE CENTRES
A PROLIFIC thief known as The Magpie has racked up her 218th conviction – despite being banned from every gym and hotel in Britain.
Former high-flying recruitment boss Jeanette Fidler, 44, descended into a drugs hell after becoming hooked on heroin.
To feed her habit, the mum-ofthree from Oldham began raiding women’s lockers at gyms, health centres, leisure centres and spas across the North of England – and has gone on to become one of the country’s most notorious thieves.
Police believe she has netted tens of thousands of pounds worth of items during her brazen sprees – often conning staff into thinking she was a legitimate customer who had simply lost her key.
In one case, one victim lost her engagement and wedding ring and on other occasions Fidler broke into as many as five different lockers in one swoop.
Despite being repeatedly arrested and jailed, Fidler has refused to stop offending.
In a bid to stop her thieving spree, Fidler was banned from all leisure centres, gyms or hotels in the UK under the terms of a Criminal Behaviour Order.
But she was arrested again in July after various lockers were broken into after staff let her use the ladies’ toilet at Salford Community Leisure centre. At Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court, Fidler, of Oldham, admitted breaching her Criminal Behaviour Order but escaped with a 12-month community order after she insisted she did not break into any of the lockers. The single mother – who has a three-yearold son – claimed she was only at the leisure centre because she was desperate for the toilet whilst visiting an art and craft fair.
But Judge Bernadette Baxter said: “I don’t believe a word of it. The reality is she is a woman who is a heroin addict.
“She knew what this place was. She knew there was a pool there, with lockers and a gym.”
The court heard how, in previous thefts, Fidler would trick staff into opening lockers for her by pretending a friend had left with the key or that she had lost it.
Fidler’s life of crime began in 2000 after she lost her job as a recruitment company manager and became hooked on heroin whilst living in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
To pay off her drug debts she began to prey on users of gyms and swimming baths – regularly taking wallets and keys from bags and clothes of unsuspecting customers when they were distracted with their children or taking a shower. Over the years she has racked up more than 200 convictions, it was heard.
In mitigation defence lawyer Helen Longworth said: “We must remember that she has not been charged with the thefts.
“She was at an arts and crafts fair with her friend and was quite a way from any shops nearby, it would have been a five to 10-minute walk and she was desperate.
“She has been trying to turn her life around and has been clean for a few years now.
“She wants to show her son and herself that she can have a better life. She has been in prison many times but she does show remorse for what she did and regrets for her actions.”
She knew what this place was. She knew there was a pool there, with lockers and a gym Judge Bernadette Baxter