South Yorkshire woman jailed for harassing elderly and vulnerable victims

A Barnsley woman has been locked up for six months for harassing elderly and vulnerable victims.
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Claire Louise, Hambleton, aged 35, of Mount Road, Barnsley, was jailed after admitting five counts of harassment against five separate victims.

LATEST: Police cordon lifted in Sheffield park after enquiries following discovery of bodyShe was also handed a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order, which will come into effect upon her release from prison and contains strict conditions that Hambleton must adhere to or she will face longer behind bars.READ MORE: Video footage shows herd of cows on the loose on Sheffield dual carriagewayHambleton is banned from approaching anyone in Barnsley to ask for money, cigarettes or anything else for personal gain.

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She is also prohibited from calling at homes to ask for cash.BREAKING: Sheffield's Spearmint Rhino keeps its licenseThe scale of Hambleton’s offending was uncovered following a joint investigation by officers from the Cudworth policing team,Barnsley Council Safer Neighbourhood Services, Berneslai Homes and Victim Care.They discovered that Hambleton was targeting elderly victims, many of whom were vulnerable and had no family or loved ones living nearby, harassing them for money and other items.Sergeant Richard Wilson, from the Cudworth police team, said: “We and our partner agencies are determined to use all measures available to us to protect people from this sort of criminal behaviour.“Hambleton exploited vulnerable members of our community and her harassment left them feeling scared to leave their homes for fear of bumping into her. This is completely unacceptable.“I am pleased with the custodial sentence given to Hambleton at court and with the court’s decision to impose a Criminal Behaviour Order, which should offer some respite to our communities.“It has been a tough period of time for the victims, who have been brave enough to speak out and report Hambleton’s criminality. With the help of our partners, we hope we have made a difference to their lives, whilst also preventing Hambleton targeting any new victims.”Councillor Jenny Platts, Barnsley Council’s Cabinet spokeswoman for Communities, said: “We’re pleased with the outcome of the case and hope it will restore peace to the lives of the victims.“We want to make our communities a safe place for all of our residents and this is a further step towards that. We would like to thank all of the partners involved for their significant input into this case.”