Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Thief hid 50 phones in his back-to-front swimming costume
A PICKPOCKET wore a back-tofront women’s swimming costume to stash more than 50 phones he stole from fans at a gig.
Alin Marin, 22, wore the one-piece swimsuit to turn himself into a “human deposit box” for phones swiped while jostling with revellers in a mosh pit.
He targeted fans of rock duo Royal Blood at the Arena Birmingham venue last month.
Undercover officers were mingling with the crowd after receiving a tip-off that thieves were preying on fans.
They caught Romanian Marin red-handed wearing the bizarre suit when he was arrested outside the venue.
A total of 53 mobile phones he had stolen from revellers were found stashed in a nearby car park.
Police took a humiliating photo of the construction worker dressed in the outfit after his arrest. Marin, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years at Birmingham crown court on Monday after admitting theft.
Sergeant Julia Slater, from West Midlands Police, said after the case: “This was organised pickpocketing.
“Marin went equipped to steal phones and took advantage of revellers enjoying themselves in the standing area. “Many of the phones were taken from front jeans pockets, which people believe is a safer place to carry valuables. “But due to the jostling in the mosh pit they simply didn’t realise they had been targeted.
“He slipped phones inside the swimsuit and effectively turned himself into a deposit box for the phones.
“It allowed him to carry tens of phones concealed around his body.
“It’s an unfortunate reality that large crowds at concerts can make rich pickings for career criminals.”