Thief used stolen phone to call sex lines (From Warrington Guardian)

Thief used stolen phone to call sex lines

10:00am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in News

A WOMAN who had her handbag stolen in Orford has been told to pay a hefty phone bill after it was used to call sex lines.

Debbie Boston, aged 34, from Orford, had been posting a letter at a post box on Festival Avenue on Friday at around 7pm when it was stolen.

A man opened her car door as she was getting back in, and snatched her handbag.

Her white iPhone 4S, iPad 1 and bank card were in the bag and she has now been asked to pay for calls made to adult hotlines.

She said: “Police told me not to cancel the phone so they could track it, and now I’m liable to pay this bill.

“This is the first time something like this has happened to me - you just don’t think it’s going to be you.

“Now I’m really twitchy pulling up to lights, and I’m nervous, locking my door as soon as I get into the car.

“I just want people to be aware that this person is around.”

The phone was tracked to Armour Avenue in Longford.

A spokesman for the police said: "At 7.15pm on January 18 police received reports of the theft of a handbag containing a number of items (including a mobile phone) from a car parked in Festival Avenue in Warrington.

“Officers have followed up a number of lines of enquiry – including using a tracking device on the mobile phone.  As part of those enquiries two addresses in the Warrington area were checked with negative results.

“The victim has been kept fully updated on the progress of the investigation. 

"The victim has been informed that if she incurred any charges on the mobile phone then the constabulary would be willing to write a letter to the phone company on her behalf to explain why there was a short delay in cancelling it and to reinforce the message that this was due to a genuine policing purpose to assist with an investigation.”

 

They are appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information can call police quoting incident number 898 of January 18.