Wolverhampton thief jailed after pestering ex-boss with threatening letters
A thief who pestered her ex-boss after penning threatening letters and making nuisance calls has been jailed for two years.
Alexandra Payne sent 10 letters and made several phone calls to former boss Claire Chumber despite being forbidden to contact her.
The 34-year-old 'blamed' the victim for her downfall after she was caught stealing £2,000-worth of items from Codsall care home residents.
It was the second time Payne had been locked up for harassing Ms Chumber and breaching a restraining order banning contact with the victim, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Sentencing, Judge Michael Chambers QC said: "This is a serious and worrying case. You blamed Claire Chumber but obviously it was unfair to do so.
"You need to understand, you are still relatively young, you have got the rest of your life before you, but if you continue to breach this order or commit any further offences, you are likely to spend many, many years in prison.
"You need to put this matter behind you and look ahead."
Payne was jailed for eight months in January after admitting she stole £2,000 from elderly residents at Station Road's Procare Solutions.
The criminal, who was working at the care home at the time, was dismissed from her role once her offending came to light.
She was released from jail in March, when she began to send 'threatening communications' to her victim, prosecutor Mr Stuart Clarkson said.
The former Wolverhampton Racecourse employee ended up back in court after police discovered the intimidating letters, with the court handing her the restraining order on July 18.
She was also jailed for six months but released on August 3, breaching the court order by contacting Ms Chumber while behind bars and once back home.
Defence barrister Mr Richard Bannister said Payne may be suffering from mental health problems but claimed she never intended to carry out the threats.
He told the court on Friday: "There are issues to do with bereavement which need to be resolved.
"It would appear that the catalyst for all of this is the death of her mother, and she has focused wrongly on Ms Chumber, which has led her into confused thinking.
"She realises there is a problem. She is willing to cooperate. She wants to stop this. She wants to understand herself."
Payne, of Tintagel Close, Wolverhampton, admitted breach of a restraining order between July 18 and September 1.
