A woman dubbed ‘the UK’s poshest thief’ who boasted about her four-figure theft sprees has become a life coach.
Ex-criminology lecturer Pauline Al Said made headlines this year after her and her husband Mark Wheatcroft embarked on daylight raids which saw them steal more than £1,000 of Le Creuset crockery, as well as premium steaks, wine and boutique gin.
Now, the 35-year-old has rebranded as a life coach and changed her professional name to Pauline Tusien.
On her newly launched website, Al Said says she offers ‘life and career mentoring’ services, writing that she can ‘help people find clarity, when things feel complicated’.
In addition, she writes: ‘I have worked as a senior criminologist and as a lecturer at several universities.
‘Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with many people from a wide range of backgrounds, which has been both inspiring and rewarding.
‘My hobbies include travelling and connecting with people from all around the world.
‘I’m also a keen runner and an early riser, which helps me start each day with focus and energy.’
Pauline Al Said has changed her professional name to Pauline Tusien as part of a rebrand and started a life coaching service
Al Said was dubbed the UK’s poshest thief after embarking on a shoplifting spree which saw her steal Le Creuset cookware and premium steaks. Pictured: Al Said and husband Mark Wheatcroft arriving at Winchester Crown Court
Al Said wrote that she was born in Poland and moved to the UK as a teenager.
She added that she spent time ‘living in the Middle East’, which she says gave her a ‘deeper appreciation for different cultures, perspectives, and ways of life’.
‘These experiences taught me how powerful it can be to step outside of your comfort zone and how important it is to have the right support when navigating change.
‘That’s what inspired my work as a life and career mentor. I have dedicated my life to learning what makes humans tick.’
Earlier this year Al Said and her husband avoided prison and were instead fined £2,500.
The judge ruling on their fate described how shoplifters walking out of supermarkets with ‘full trolley loads’ was becoming ‘more and more common’ with the public calling for ‘appropriate sentences’.
However, he decided against a custodial sentence and decided to impose a financial penalty after concluding Al Said, 35, would not comply with community service.
Earlier this year, a court heard that Al Said and her husband were fined £2,500 for their daylight raids
Since then, the former senior criminology lecturer at Bath Spa University has nicknamed herself the ‘UK’s poshest thief’ on her biography on X, previously Twitter.
A court heard how the pair had visited a garden centre, armed with a de-tagging device, before trying to steal high-value spirits and cast iron utensils.
When they were asked to come back into the store by a shop detective, who had seen them leave without paying on CCTV, Wheatcroft, 56, ‘struck’ the employee.
Almost a year later Al Said was again caught shoplifting, this time from a branch of Marks and Spencer where she had piled 33 thick-cut sirloin, rib eye and fillet steaks into her trolley.
She also had several bottles of red and white wine when she was spotted by undercover security guards.
The two thefts were valued at £581.48 and £570.42, respectively.
The pair have now been sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court after Al Said was found guilty of two counts of theft and Wheatcroft was convicted of one count of theft and one count of assault following last year’s trial.
Representing themselves, the couple from Southsea in Hampshire claimed their actions were on the ‘lower end’ when it came to harm.
Sentencing, Judge Keith Cutler said: ‘There has been some planning and a threat of use of force.
‘I am satisfied this is not a case for a community order for Wheatcroft. I am satisfied it is not a case for Al Said to have a community order – I would not see her complying with unpaid work.
Pauline Al Said pictured outside Salisbury Law Courts
‘The best way of dealing with it is by a financial penalty.’
He described the garden centre raid as a ‘serious theft’, adding: ‘Wholesale walking out from a shop with a trolley load of items is becoming more and more common.
‘The public have called for courts to impose appropriate sentences.’
Prosecution lawyers did not attend the sentencing hearing, and it emerged the couple will not have to pay towards the costs of their three-week trial at Salisbury Crown Court in Wiltshire last July.
Criticising the prosecution, Judge Cutler has now said: ‘Wheatcroft and Al Said have turned up but no one from the prosecution has attended.
‘There is no summary from the prosecution – the prosecution have simply washed their hands of this case for reasons I do not understand or accept.’
