The Shop Assistant served Gemma Winter-Brown when she called into Ruskin & Pugh’s shoe shop to buy new shoes for her little daughter Carys. The entire family were financially badly off despite holding down several jobs and Gemma hoped that the little girl's present pair would suffice for some time, but the school rang her and told her that they discovered blisters on Carys' feet as they were too tight.
Holding a flyer which promised 50% off in the sale, a deeply upset Gemma took her daughter to the shop, apologising for hurting her and promising her any pair she liked. The assistant measured Carys, recommending a leather upper for a growing girl and pointed out that the feet width of size G/H was wider than standard and the pairs which Gemma had previously purchased in a supermarket would have been too tight for her. The assistant found a perfect fit for Carys but none of her size were in the last season’s stock and therefore this brand-new pair’s asking price was at the full sum of £45, over double what Gemma had available to spend. The sympathetic assistant went to speak to the owner to see if a 10% reduction could be given. Seeing other parents easily able to supply their children with their needs, Gemma made an unwise choice and fled the shop with Carys still wearing the shoes. Shamed by her mother Bernie, Gemma tried to return the shoes but was spotted and again ran off, only to be horrified when the owner, Bruce Ruskin, turned out to be the father of one of Joseph Brown’s schoolfriends and, recognising Gemma, reported her to the police. He dropped the complaint after her half-brother detective constable Kit Green pointed out to Bruce that he had looked over his own record and that was hardly clean.