Brazen thief pushed Portsmouth family to breaking point

Stacey Lajoie, 30, of Lake Road, Portsmouth had worked at the nearby Falcon News for 11 years and pleaded guilty to theft.

Now, her former boss, Linda Sood, has told how Lajoie’s crimes pushed the family to breaking point.

‘We couldn’t pay our bills, our rent, our rates – the tax people,’ she said.

‘There were arguments at home about where the money was going missing - It had a great impact on us.’

She added that she ‘hadn’t lost faith in humanity’ but said: ‘I think she should be locked up for life.

‘I think they should do what they do in other countries and chop her hands off because she knew what she was doing.’

Lajoie is due to be sentenced on March 11.