Woman disguised herself in a burka to steal more than £17,000 from children's entertainment centre

An employee at a children’s entertainment centre in Birmingham disguised herself in a burka to steal more than £17,000 from a safe before fleeing in a taxi.

Police were easily able to track her down Krystal Kerr because she has booked the taxi using her own mobile and they found most of the loot she had taken in her bedroom.

The "useless" criminal even claimed she managed to leave some of the loot in the taxi by accident.

Kerr, 28, of The Riddings, Stechford , planned to use the cash for a holiday in Jamaica. She had previously admitted theft and was jailed for one year.

On July 20 last year Kerr arrived at Fun Station in Star City just as security staff were locking and securing the premises.

She walked past the two men dressed in a burka and used a key she had previously stolen to get into a store room.

After disabling the alarm she went to the safe and removed £17,344 before returning to a taxi that was waiting for her.

She was dropped off in Erdington and then took a bus to her home in Stechford .

Emma Rutherford, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court , said the theft was discovered the next day and that the taxi the defendant had used was identified from CCTV footage.

Nine days later officers went to her home and within an hour discovered a bag containing £15,500 under floorboards in her bedroom.

When quizzed Kerr said after returning home she had gone to her local park and burnt the burka and a bag which had contained the money.

She said she had stolen the cash to flee from an abusive boyfriend.

James Frarczyk, defending, said: “The whole thing was essentially bungled from the outset.

Mr Frarczyk said of the money that had not been recovered she spent £366 on rent and believed the rest may have been left in the taxi.

He added that she had been assaulted and bullied by her ex partner who wanted her to return to him.