Bulgarian serial thief who stole a purse from 102-year-old
A PICKPOCKET who stole from 14 vulnerable women, including a 102-year-old and a blind person, has been jailed.
Bulgarian national iva lina Hristova, 34, targeted elderly women with open handbags in shops such as waitrose, wilko and iceland. All of her 14 victims were aged over 70 except one, who was a 44-year-old blind woman.
The centenarian who had her purse stolen by Hristova lived through two world wars and this was the first crime she had fallen victim to, a court heard.
The immigrant’s crimes – including five in one day – were carried out in the Dorset towns of Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and weymouth between August and January. in total, she pocketed £1,050.
Hristova, from Bournemouth, is said to have had the help of a male accom- plice who provided ‘security’. The mother of two would pretend to browse for goods, bump into her victim and simultaneously take her purse or bag.
Several of the incidents were captured on CCTV and she was arrested at Stansted airport in February after returning to the UK from Bulgaria.
Jailing Hristova for 20 months at Bournemouth Crown Court, Judge Brian Forster QC said: ‘it is clear to me that you travelled to this area to steal. You targeted elderly and vulnerable victims – easy targets.’
robert grey, defending, said Hristova had come to the UK to send money back to her children, aged ten and 15, in Bulgaria and claimed she targeted open handbags rather than elderly people specifically.
Mr grey said: ‘She had a number of jobs, working as a kitchen assist-
‘You targeted vulnerable victims’
ant, a cleaner, a food preparation worker, and she has never had benefits in the UK. She is ashamed and sorry for what she did. She may have been in thrall to a greater or lesser extent with this male she was with. She wants to return as soon as possible to Bulgaria to see her children.’
inspector Steve Houston, of Dorset police, said: ‘Hristova engaged in a campaign of purse thefts across the county, systematically targeting elderly women with cold, brutal efficiency, and she showed no remorse for her actions.
‘She would pretend to browse for goods, bump into her victim and simultaneously take her purse or bag. Hristova would then often remove the cash and dump the purse or handbag nearby.
‘So confident and well disciplined was she in her methods, she would target multiple stores and victims in one area within a short space of time.’
Hristova admitted 14 counts of theft and one of fraud by false representation.