£5k ring thief had spent her £70k windfall

A WOMAN brazenly stole a £5,000 diamond ring from a jewellers after a staff member had gone to get her a glass of water.

- JONATHON HILL Reporter

Megan Taylor, 28, visited Stephen Hughes Fine Diamonds in Swansea’s Quadrant shopping centre just before noon on January 25 this year when she asked a jeweller on shift to take her through some pricey diamond rings, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The sales assistant sat down with Taylor and took the rings out and went through them one by one with her.

While the pair were looking at the rings the defendant then asked the sales assistant for a glass of water, claiming she felt faint.

CCTV footage showed how when the sales assistant left the table to get the water Taylor slipped a solitaire diamond ring from the table into her pocket.

She initially acted naturally before deciding against purchasing a ring and walking out of the store minutes later.

Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting, told the court the ring she stole amounted to £4,950.