02/01/2026
🚨 A crack co***ne user from Leeds stole a packet of crisps from a vulnerable woman after asking her for money, a court has heard.
Anthony Jarrett, 48, went to the home of a woman with dementia on November 25, offering to carry out building work the following day but insisting he needed an upfront payment. Leeds Crown Court was told on Monday that the woman explained there was no money in the house.
Prosecutor Oishee Dey said the woman allowed Jarrett, who has no fixed address, into her home and agreed he could return the next day to do the work. Jarrett then asked for a £100 deposit, before reducing the amount and asking if she had £10. When she again told him there was no money, he asked for a glass of water.
While the woman was distracted at the sink, Jarrett slipped a packet of crisps into his pocket. He had given the name Michael Clark and said he would return the following day. However, the property was fitted with CCTV and the incident was reported to police.
Jarrett was later arrested but claimed the crisps had been given to him after he said he was hungry. He told officers he had been knocking on doors around the estate offering work and denied the woman appeared confused, insisting she seemed mentally capable. He said he was motivated by a need to pay off drug debts.
Jarrett later pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling and fraud by false representation, having previous convictions for similar offences.
