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Mother of Chelsea captain John Terry arrested for £800 shoplifting spree
Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter27 Mar 2009
ENGLAND and Chelsea captain John Terry's mother and mother-in-law have been arrested by police for shoplifting.
Sue Terry, 50, and Sue Poole, 54, were held on suspicion of theft, accused of stealing food and clothing worth £800 from Tesco and Marks and Spencer.
The pair were caught loading the goods into a car at the Brooklands shopping centre in Weybridge. Among the goods said to be stolen were tracksuits.
Security guards called police at 3pm on Wednesday and the women 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 and has bought detached homes for both his mother and mother-in-law in the same street in which he also lives in Oxshott, Surrey, with wife Toni and their two-year-old twins. 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.
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."
