Terry: will undoubtedly be embarrassed
by his mother and mother-in-law's getting arrested for stealing
clothes and food worth £800
England and Chelsea captain John
Terry's mother and mother-in-law have
been arrested by police for shoplifting, after being accused of
stealing food and clothing worth £800 from Tesco and Marks and
Spencer.
Sue Terry, 50, and Sue Poole, 54, were allegedly caught loading
the goods into a car at the Brooklands shopping centre in Weybridge
and were taken to Staines police station where they accepted a
police caution - meaning they formally acknowledged their guilt but
that no further action was taken against them.
The incident is hugely embarrassing for the footballer, who
earns £135,000 a week. Police were called by security staff at 3pm
on Wednesday and the pair were taken to nearby Staines police
station in Middlesex. Tesco is the official England supermarket and
M&S supplies suits to the England squad, while Tesco chief
executive Sir Terry Leahy is one of the vice-presidents for the
2018 World Cup bid.
A Surrey police spokesman said: "Officers arrested two women
aged 50 and 54, both from Oxshott, on suspicion of theft. This
followed reports of shoplifting. The women were interviewed in
custody and have been cautioned for the offences.
"Cautions are usually applied for more minor matters, when it is
a first-time offence. A caution represents an admission of guilt
and forms part of a criminal record."
Terry's lawyer Angus McBride insisted the women were innocent
victims of an "unfortunate misunderstanding". He said: "They didn't
do anything wrong. They didn't have legal advice and weren't aware
they were admitting guilt [by accepting a caution]." He said they
would be taking legal action to clear their names.
Family: Terry with his then pregnant fiancee Toni
and mother in 2006
A source told the Sun: "Everyone was gobsmacked
when the police realised they had arrested John Terry's mum and
mum-in-law.
"They're women who want for nothing, yet they were accused of
taking cheap gear without paying. They seemed at a loss to
explain.
"One said she had no idea why she'd taken sports gear as she
didn't even like wearing the stuff. They seemed shaken up."
A source close to Terry said: "This will come as a terrible
shock to John. His mum has never done anything like this before. It
would be easier if he had the first idea why it happened."
Caution: Sue Poole
