Ghanaian actress, Emelia Brobbey, who was recently arrested in the UK for allegedly shoplifting a bracelet at Pearsons Departmental Store in Enfield while on vacation in London has denied stealing.
According to Ghanamma.com, multiple reports claim the actress, who was unaware of security camera at a London store, allegedly picked a bracelet worth £10, without paying for it and as she was exiting the store, an alarm beeped, alerting the storekeepers of the theft. Emelia was held down for questioning until the officers from the Enfield Police Department arrived to make the arrest.
Emelia had been in the UK for months on holiday and to deliver her new baby boy, which she did on June 13, 2013. What the new mother did not bargain for was getting involved in a pilfering scandal.
But on her return to Ghana on July 25, Emelia told reporters and her colleagues who were at the airport to welcome her that she was wrongfully accused and that she did not steal.
She said, “A bracelet accidentally fell into my baby carriage without my knowing it until the alarm beeped when I was about leaving the shop. I explained to the security and even paid for it when the shop attendant asked if I wanted to keep the bracelet, only to be pursued later by the police.”
Following the shoplifting incident, the residence of her host, Gloria Agyeman, who is also an actress, was later raided by the police. This has led to sniffing into Gloria’s immigration status by the police as they asked her to keep reporting to the station every week until a clear picture of her immigration status is ascertained.
The scandal deepens as another resident actress, Eunice Akua Adjeiwaa, who had overstayed in the UK wasn’t that lucky. She was arrested at Gloria’s residence by the police and she is currently being investigated by the UK Border Agency and may be deported to Ghana.
If caught for shoplifting for a small amount in the UK, shops in the neighbourhood could take your details and give you a banning order but if the police are called, and it’s your first time, you may be given a fixed penalty notice as long as the amount of good stolen is not over £100. If you have already had a caution for a theft offence, you will have to be charged and face court, where you can get a possible fine or community service if found guilty.
Prior to this scandal, Emelia was last year enmeshed in a pregnancy mess after she was accused of being involved with a married man. She reportedly claimed the man was responsible for her pregnancy – not her ex-husband whom she divorced months into the pregnancy.
Emelia, a teacher-turned-actress landed her first movie role in 2002 in ‘Tribal War’. She has since featured in over 30 movies earning numerous awards. On October 15, 2012, Emelia unveiled her own production house called Endtime Films. She also runs a foundation registered as ‘Emelia Brobbey Charity Organisation’ to help the less privileged.