‘Selfish’ woman tricked her widowed friend into handing over her wedding ring to buy heroin

A “selfish” woman took advantage of a vulnerable widow by stealing the trusting victim’s wedding and eternity rings and pawning them to raise cash for heroin, Hull Live reports. The two women had been close friends but “desperate” drug addict Claire Cumming repeatedly pestered her for money before turning up at her door late one night to plead for more cash.

She finally persuaded the retired woman to hand over the wedding ring off her finger by falsely promising to return it the next day, Hull Crown Court heard. Cumming now claims she has beaten drugs and is “more than just a surname and a number” after being in prison while on remand.

She had been a drug addict for 26 years since the age of 17 but insists drugs are no longer on her “radar”. Cumming, 43, of Hykeham Close, Kingswood, Hull, admitted fraud and two offences of theft.

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Julia Baggs, prosecuting, said that the retired woman, now 67, had known Cumming for around 12 years and they had originally been very close friends. Their relationship changed after the woman’s husband died and Cumming often asked her for money.

“This was persistent and repeated,” said Miss Baggs.

Cumming pestered the widow with telephone calls and text messages in the seven years after her husband died. The woman loaned her around £800 that had not been repaid.

Cumming made further “begging” requests for money and the woman felt under “relentless and constant pressure”. On August 12, 2019, Cumming went to the widow’s home at midnight, banged on the front door and asked for money.

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The woman spoke to her on the