A priest gave free food and hundreds of pounds to a struggling mother, and she responded by trying to steal it from her church.
Zoe Paul carried out the serious attack on Father David Potter outside St Albert’s Church in Stockbridge Village earlier last year. Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 36-year-old was drugged while targeting Father Potter on the morning of March 16, 2021, grabbing him and demanding that he give him money.
Prosecutor Nardeen Nehmat said Paul had been to Hollow Croft Church many times in previous months. Father Potter had tried to help her after she told him she was in need, and he finally gave her a total of £ 780 and free food for several visits.
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However, he later found that his stories became more and more incredible and his mood more aggressive. On one occasion, he ran to the church as he was about to begin Mass and forcibly entered the confessional box before asking for money.
The morning of the attempted robbery, he arrived when he opened the church and again asked him to give him cash. Ms Nehmat said she refused and tried to pull away, but then approached him “persistently” trying to keep him from pushing away and pushing her away.
She said, “She tried to run away and used her cell phone to call the police. She said, ‘If you call the police, I’ll have you arrested for assault.'” her pockets trying to fetch money and she continued to pocket it.Finally, a member of the audience managed to distract her and Father Potter went back inside.
In a statement to the court, Father Potter said Paul was “violent and threatening” and CCTV showed him that he was constantly trying to get money from him. On Paul’s aggressive behavior, he said, “It was like fighting a wild animal.”
Defender Michael O’Brien said Paul, who has no previous convictions, was ashamed of what he had done and wanted to make sure he never did anything like it again. Although he had initially denied being the one who targeted Father Potter and said it was someone else, he soon admitted to attempted robbery.
He said Paul wanted to apologize for his behavior, saying he was “in a very bad place” at the time of the incident and fighting a major drug problem. Mr O’Brien said: “At the time, she was homeless and addicted to class A drugs, she was clearly living a chaotic lifestyle. That doesn’t excuse her behavior, but it may explain it in part.”
Paul herself apologized numerous times during the hearing and said she was seeking treatment to help her addiction to Class A drugs. earlier this year and said there would be space available for her in a program at Brook House if she avoided jail.
Judge Louise Brandon said Paul’s attack had clearly affected Father Potter, who said he was still afraid to open or close the church doors on his own. Judge Brandon said, “This behavior of yours had a serious impact on Father Potter. Much of this hearing has been on you, but you have to think about what you did to him.”
He handed Paul, of Barons Hey, an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years. Under the terms of the sentence, Paul will have to undergo drug tests twice a week and attend Brook House regularly for nine months.
He will also have to complete 15 days of rehab and a restraining order will prevent him from contacting Father Potter or entering Hollow Croft. Addressing her, Judge Brandon said, “If you break this order, you will be back here before me. If you commit other crimes, you will be here again before me. If there is a problem reported by Brook House or the parole service , you will return here before me.
“If you and I meet again because you haven’t completed the drug rehabilitation order or any of the requirements you need, you’ll go to jail.”
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