Thief asked ‘ex -boyfriend’ to make him a cuppa and then stole his phone

A thief concocted an elaborate ploy to steal his “ex-boyfriend’s” mobile phone and then harassed him for months afterwards. Scott Mitchell went to his victim’s home in Gillingham and said his mother was coming over to lend him money. He then asked the victim - who the prosecution said was his ex-lover - to make them all a coffee.

But when he went into the kitchen, dishonest Mitchell legged it with his £500 Samsung Note phone. The 30-year-old then went on to pester and harass the man for about two months between May and July last year by turning up at his home unannounced and leaving him notes. Mitchell disputes there was a previous relationship but admitted harassment.



A court heard Mitchell, of no fixed address, was charged with harassment without violence, and theft in a dwelling. He had originally pleaded not guilty to the harassment charge but then changed his plea to gulity and admitted both offences when he appeared in court earlier this year. Mitchell was also charged with several other offences he’d committed during separate incidents this year including assault, assault on an emergency worker and four counts of shoplifting.

He admitted those charges at an earlier hearing and returned to Margate Magistrates’ Court on October 15 to be sentenced over all the matters. Elizabeth Evans, prosecuting, said: “They had been in an intimate relationship and would see each other every couple of days. But it started to go wrong when he asked for money to cover his rent or to pay loan sharks.

“The man then broke up with Mr Mitchell as he no longer wanted to be in the relationship.” The prosecutor went on to tell the court that after the couple split, Mitchell contacted the victim and told him he wanted to repay what he had borrowed. Mrs Evans added: “He offered to repay the bank transfers and went to his home.

He then asked to borrow his mobile because he said his mum was coming to meet him to give him the money and that he should go and make coffee as his mum was pulling up outside. “He then left through the front door with the man’s mobile phone. “Three days later he’s back at the man’s flat asking to be let in and left a handwritten note.

” A couple of days later on May 24, Mitchell knocked on the man’s window asking to be let in and then asked him several times for more money. After telling Mitchell to leave a number of times, the man called the police to report the matter. But later that day, Mitchell was again banging on his window and front door.

The prosecutor said Mitchell turned up at the man’s home a number of times during May and June, begging to be let in. The court heard that if the man crossed paths with him while he was out, Mitchell would then follow him back to his home. Mrs Evans added: “Sometimes the man was able to pull ahead [and lose him], but five minutes later he would turn up.

“On June 6 and 7 he turned up at the window and was told to go away and then on June 11 the man found a handwritten note which said he wanted a bit of fun upstairs and that he wanted to kiss. “Then on June 17, he got another note posted through the letterbox which said that he wanted the man’s **** in his mouth and wanted to kiss him.” The court heard Mitchell turned up on several other occasions unannounced.

He was arrested over the matters on September 13 that year. In a written impact statement, the victim said Mitchell had taken money from him and that he was embarrassed by this. He also said he felt relieved he’d stolen his phone as it had given him the opportunity to get rid of him and his stalking behaviour, and that he was now wary of bumping into Mitchell.

Mrs Evans added: “He has previous for theft and assaults on emergency workers and I am asking for a restraining order.” Magistrates heard Mitchell assaulted an Asda security guard when he went to the store in Mill Way, Sittingbourne on April 1 this year. He was already banned from the shop, but when recognised by the security guard, he was asked to leave.

He became irate and shouted at the guard before pushing him in the chest which knocked him backwards. On June 12 in Sheerness he was spotted by PC Richard Hewes who realised he was wanted by police, so the officer tried to arrest him. Mrs Evans added: “The officer grabbed him to retain him but he started making threats and the officer had to use pava [pepper spray] to keep control of the situation and he was shouting abuse and ripped off his stab-proof vest.

“The officer had to rely on members of the public to dial 999 for assistance and he [the officer] received two punches to his head which was all caught on his body-worn camera.” Between June 22 and 28 this year, Mitchell stole goods from three different stores in Sheerness and Sittingbourne. The first theft happened at the Tesco store in Sheerness when he took four sets of headphones valued at £120 and then just days later on June 25 he went back to the same store and stole another two pairs valued at £41.

On June 28 he visited the Asda Express store in Sittingbourne and swiped various cleaning products including fairy gel and fabric conditioner worth £40. The next day he returned to the Tesco store and took various cleaning products and clothing valued at £127.50.

The prosecutor added: “On June 29 at the Tesco store in Bridge Road, he put the clothing on, it was a T-shirt, belt and sunglasses and walked out without making any attempt to pay.” Ashley Mayes, defending, said the cases had taken so long to come to court as Mitchell had been jailed recently at Maidstone Crown Court for two assaults on emergency workers and was due to be released from prison today (October 22) after getting 12 months for the offences. However, she revealed he was released early after serving just 40% of the sentence, as well as time on remand, and would be on licence until May next year.

She added: “He uses drugs, but he’s now getting counselling and has some mental health issues and disputes there was a relationship [between him and the man he stole the phone from] and said they were just friends who had similar interests and used drugs together. “A lot of the time he would return to the address but said he was owed money and stole the mobile phone [for that reason]. “He wants no relationship with the man, he has no interest in contacting him and there has been no contact for over a year.

” She also told the court Mitchell was now on medication to help his issues. He had stolen to fund his drug habit but wanted to change. Magistrates said the offences were serious and passed the custody threshold, but that they were prepared to suspend the term.

They jailed Mitchell for 180 days for all the offences and suspended the term for 12 months and ordered him to attend 25 rehabilitation sessions. He was also ordered to pay the mobile phone victim £500 and must also pay compensation to the shops that he stole from. He was also ordered to stay away from his former lover for three years.

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