A woman has been jailed for her part in an incident where her boyfriend slashed another man with a knife and robbed him.

Clare Parobij received a 12-month sentence when she appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday on theft, deception and offensive weapons charges.

But she was told by Judge Patrick O'Brien she will be released almost immediately as she has served the equivalent sentence while in custody.

Parobij was with her boyfriend Justin Widdowfield when he robbed a man at his bedsit in Butt Road, Colchester.

John Field's left cheek was cut when he thought Widdowfield was joking when he demanded a games console.

The couple were arrested yards from the bedsit when a policeman became suspicious of a package they were carrying.

Widdowfield, 27, and Parobij, 20, both of Stalin Road, Colchester, denied a charge of robbing Mr Field on December 2 last year when they appeared in court.

Widdowfield changed his plea to guilty during the trial and was jailed for three and a half years. Parobij admitted theft, offensive weapon and deception charges and these pleas were accepted by the prosecution.

The jury found her not guilty on the robbery charge on the direction of the judge. Sentence on her had been adjourned for reports.

The couple told police after their arrest they had gone to the bedsit to collect a debt. Parobij also said she had a kitchen knife and a Swiss army knife for protection.

Richard Soames, prosecuting, said the deception charges Parobij faced related to an incident when she tried to get £40 from a man who had used her services as a prostitute.

She claimed her boyfriend had found out and said she needed money, the court heard.

The man said he had no money and asked her to return to his shop the following week. When she did, police were waiting and she was arrested.

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