A woman desperate for cash after splashing out on a party robbed her own mother inside a Wetherspoon pub. Julie Chaplin barged into the venue just after midnight and demanded money before engaging in a tug-of-war to snatch the bag from her shocked mum.
Prosecutor Benjamin Donnell said the 38-year-old benefit money was transferred into her mother's bank account. And her mum would then give her cash.
The mother withdrew £300 from a cash machine on October 5 but gave Chaplin £200 because she was owed the remainder. However, Hull Crown Court heard Chaplin later turned up at her mother's house and asked for more money.
Chaplin, who was homeless, said that she had spent the other money on a party. She had £70 of her benefit money left in her mother's bank account, so the mother gave her £60 cash there and then, reports Hull Live.
This was the amount of cash that she had on her at the time. It was the mother's intention to withdraw the £60 for herself so that she would, in effect, have been paid back by her daughter.
On October 6, the mother was in the Admiral of the Humber pub in Hull at about 12.10am when Chaplin came in a few times to demand more money. The mother protested, saying that she did not like going to a cash machine at night because it was dark.
Mr Donnell said: "The defendant came in one last time and told her that she was going to take her bag. The defendant went to grab her handbag strap and started to pull on it. The mother tried to resist and lean in the other direction to stop her taking her bag."
Chaplin forcefully pulled the bag and the mother fell to the floor and let go. "The defendant ran away with it [the bag]," said Mr Donnell. The mother suffered a large bruise on her upper right arm.
The mother's purse was inside the handbag. It contained £300 to £400 cash, her bank card and her bus pass, as well as her mobile phone and house keys. Chaplin was arrested but told police that she could not recall what she did that day. She answered "No comment" to questions about the robbery.
The mother later said: "I am shocked – shocked that my daughter could do something like that to me. I was crying at the time of the incident and it takes a lot to upset me. I am worried that she will turn up again, ask me for money and cause issues."
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Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said: "It was a disgraceful act by the defendant, notwithstanding her problems at the time, and the defendant appreciates that. She is sorry and hopes for a future relationship with her mother. She realises that she will have to take things delicately and she has got a lot to make up for her actions."
Chaplin, of Hull, has now admitted a charge of robbery when she appeared before the court. Her most recent offence was in 2013 and she had shown that she could stay out of trouble. She had previously taken drugs and, at the time of the offence, was homeless.
"She is, despite her difficulties, hopeful for the future," said Mr Robinson. "The defendant has the best of intentions."
Chaplin, who has children, had been on remand at New Hall prison, near Wakefield, for about seven months. Recorder Felicity Davies told her: "I don't want to minimise the very considerable upset that you caused to your own mother. It's crucial for your future that you have accommodation to go to on your release, as an absolute minimum.
"You need assistance to get a bank account and you need some oversight to help you keep off drugs and too much alcohol."
Chaplin was jailed for 16 months but, because of the time that she had spent in custody on remand, she was expected to be released within two weeks. Her remaining time in custody would be used to try to find accommodation for her before her release.
"You will have to take responsibility for trying to avoid drugs and too much alcohol," said Recorder Davies.
