Former Criminology Lecturer Faces Deportation After Shoplifting Spree
Polish-born academic's bid to remain in the UK dismissed over £12,000 in stolen goods.
A former criminology lecturer who described herself as 'Britain's poshest thief' is facing deportation from the UK after a shoplifting spree that netted thousands of pounds worth of goods. Pauline Al Said, 36, a Polish national, has been informed by the Home Office that she will be removed from the country if she does not appeal the decision by next month.
Al Said, who previously lectured at Bath Spa University, was found guilty of shoplifting offenses totaling £11,964. The court heard she made six trips to a Southampton Sainsbury's between June 2024 and July 2025, stealing items including vodka, gin, prosecco, and wine.
In January of this year, Southampton Crown Court sentenced Al Said to a 44-week jail term, suspended for 18 months. The judge noted that her focus was on stealing high-value items that could be easily sold to fund a drug habit. In a separate case in 2024, she was convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court of stealing approximately £1,000 worth of alcohol, Le Creuset cookware, and premium steaks from Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
Al Said's defense counsel stated that she had ended her marriage and is a highly educated woman who understood the impact of her actions. She was banned from Sainsbury's for 18 months and ordered to attend 28 rehabilitation days. The judge acknowledged her expressions of remorse.
Al Said was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2021 and argued that her deportation would breach her human rights, citing that her mother and sister reside in the country. However, a Home Office official concluded that the public interest in her deportation outweighed her right to private and family life.
Under her maiden name, Tusien, Al Said offers life and career mentoring services on her website. She has claimed to have quit drugs and alcohol. Her former husband, Mark Wheatcroft, 58, faces separate charges including sexual assault, actual bodily harm, strangulation, and breaching a non-molestation order, to which he has pleaded not guilty.