Behind bars... Margot Fonteyn ballet shoes thief Graham Shoebridge who did a runner
Fugitive stole £40,000 haul from a pensioner he had befriended
Published: 12th November, 2010
by TERRY MESSENGER
A THIEF who stole a pair of Margot Fonteyn’s ballet shoes has finally been caught – after going on the run for more than two months.
Islington police tracked down Graham Shoebridge, who skipped bail after being convicted of stealing the £40,000 memento from a 79-year-old man.
Shoebridge, 37, befriended his victim and moved into his home in Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, before making off with the prized ballet shoes just before Christmas last year.
He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for aggravated burglary, criminal damage and failing to surrender to police when he finally appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court on October 29.
Police traced him to an address in Birmingham, where he was arrested.
Sergeant Chris Collinson, of the borough’s wanted offenders unit, said: “Shoebridge has now been brought to justice and I hope the knowledge that he is now behind bars brings some comfort to the victim.”
Shoebridge was convicted at Highbury Magistrates’ Court on July 22 after pleading guilty to theft and vandalism charges.
But he failed to turn up at Blackfriars Crown Court a month later when he was due to be sentenced.
Shoebridge had befriended a 79-year-old man and moved in with him. “Over a period of time he was asked to leave and began to systematically harass the victim and his family with malicious phone calls and emails,” said a police statement.
“He caused criminal damage to the victim’s home. On December 17, the victim came home to discover that valuable personal items, including a pair of Margot Fonteyn ballet shoes, had been stolen.”