Haverhill woman who 'ruthlessly preyed on the vulnerable' jailed for 12 years

A 'ruthless' and 'scheming' 30-year-old woman from Haverhill has been jailed for 12 years after being sentenced for a string of offences.

Cherie Tyler of Crowland Road in the town was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court earlier today after pleading guilty at a previous hearing.

She was initially charged on March 2 this year with a robbery of a vulnerable man that took place on February 24 in Haverhill when his cash, phone and wallet were stolen.

Following this charge she then engaged with the Operation Converter team and went on to admit a further 10 offences which included a robbery on February 15, 2019 in Haverhill, a dwelling burglary at Chainey Pieces on June 5, 2018, burglary of a caravan and office on Sturmer Road on February 23, 2018, a possession of class C drug offence on February 27, 2019 and six counts of theft that took place from December 30, 2016 and September 24, 2018 on three different vulnerable male victims.

These thefts included a pedal cycle, bank cards and mobile phones.

At Ipswich Crown Court on May 15 she pleaded guilty to the robbery offence on February 24 in Haverhill and also two counts of dishonestly making false representation.

These two incidents related to fraudulent purchases at the Esso Garage on Sturmer Road and the Premier Store on Strasbourg Square just after the robbery on February 24.

The two charges of dishonestly making false representation were added at a later court appearance by Tyler.

DC Duncan Etchells from the Op Converter team said: "Tyler was a scheming individual who ruthlessly preyed on vulnerable victims that she attempted to befriend.

"In one incident in December 2016 around £500 was withdrawn from a bank account without the permission of the account holder.

"It is very satisfying to see her jailed for her exploitative and ruthless activities.”

Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes.

This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence.

Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then ‘taken into consideration’ at sentencing.