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Woman, 41, who fled M&S in Tunbridge Wells in an Audi arrested after police chase

Kent Police released CCTV and bodycam footage of a plainclothes officer and patrols chasing Andrea Berquez, 41, after she stole from M&S in Tunbridge Wells on 15 May. She pleaded guilty to five thefts and received a two-year conditional discharge.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: Daily Mail
Image: Metro

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The story, neutrally told

MixedA plainclothes police officer chased a repeat shoplifter who drove off in an Audi after stealing from Marks & Spencer in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 15 May. LeftThe woman, named as Andrea Berquez, 41, was shown on CCTV taking an item from the fruit and vegetable aisle; Metro says she put it in her bag. MixedShe did not stop when the officer tried to stop her as she left the car park. He pursued her on foot and tried a second time, but she drove away again.

MixedPatrolling officers spotted and followed her car, then pulled her from it; footage shows an officer shouting 'Get out of the car'. MixedThe Daily Mail says she was arrested outside her home and describes the car as an Audi TT. Metro says she is from Tonbridge and does not say where the arrest took place. MixedShe was charged with five counts of theft between 25 April and 15 May, pleaded guilty, and on 14 September was given a two-year conditional discharge order at Maidstone Magistrates' Court.

LeftA Kent Police spokesperson said officers 'will continue to work tirelessly to pursue and catch offenders who steal'. RightThe Daily Mail sets the case against national figures: shoplifting offences recorded in England and Wales rose 133 per cent from 228,128 in 2020-21 to 530,457 in 2024-25, and 19.8 per cent of 2024-25 offences led to a charge, according to House of Commons Library data analysed by the Liberal Democrats. RightIt also reports that the Met says it solved nearly double the shoplifting cases last year, and the government says the rise in shop theft is slowing. The Crime and Policing Bill, which retailers welcome, would make assaulting a retail worker a standalone offence.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split.

Left1 outlet

Framing
A short report built around the Kent Police video, with the chase and the sentence set out plainly.
Emphasis
The CCTV and bodycam footage, the charges and sentence, and a Kent Police quote.
Leaves out or plays down
Gives no national shoplifting statistics or policy context, and does not say where the arrest took place.
Charged language
“prolific shoplifter”“repeat offender”
For example
“This is the moment a prolific shoplifter who pinched produce from M&S was chased by a plainclothes police officer.” — Metro

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
Tells the chase as a crime story, then places it within a wider 'shoplifting crisis' and low charge rates.
Emphasis
Rising shoplifting figures, low charge rates by police force, Met and retail-industry comments, and the Crime and Policing Bill.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not quote Kent Police, and says nothing about her home town of Tonbridge.
Charged language
“prolific M&S shoplifter”“very ordinary Tunbridge Wells home”“escalating shoplifting crisis”
For example
“It comes as London retailers face an escalating shoplifting crisis with the Met having reported 93,626 cases in 2024-25” — Daily Mail