Pickpockets’ £2k spree on sheriff’s credit card
Sneak thieves target veteran lawman on his lunch break
Brazen pickpockets went on a £ 2000 spending splurge with a sheriff’s credit card – after swiping it from him on his lunch break.
Professional thieves Catalin Sandu and Adrian Dragomir targeted Sheriff Robert Dickson at a Morrisons supermarket.
Sandu watched him enter his PIN number at the checkout, followed him outside and stole his card while helping him lift his shopping into his car boot.
The thief was so skilled that Dickson – who spent three decades on the bench – had no idea his British Airways American Express card had been snatched.
Within hours, Sandu and Dragomir spent thousands on it in stores in Glasgow city centre including £ 691 in Cruise, £119 in Debenhams, £ 1258 in the Apple Store and £305 in USC.
Dickson reported the theft to police at Airdrie Sheriff Court the next day after discovering more than £2000 had been spent on designer clothes and hi-tech products.
Sandu stole from Dickson during a ninemonth fraud campaign which netted him and accomplice Dragomir cash and goods worth more than £12,000.
Other victims included a woman aged 94 and others in their 70s and 80s.
Dickson, 71, retired last year after 29 years as a sheriff at Airdrie but still serves parttime. He was one of eight victims targeted.
The details emerged when Romanianborn Sandu, 40, and Dragomir, 28, appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court to admit targeting a string of elderly victims. They were due to go on trial before a jury facing a combined total of 58 charges but struck a deal which saw them plead guilty to 29 offences.
Sandu was charged with 41 offences and admitted 22, while Dragomir pleaded guilty to seven of 17 charges.
The callous pair used cards from other victims to spend almost £10,000.
They went on spending sprees at stores such as Giorgio Armani, Superdry and Marks & Spencer. Their scam was f inal ly rumbled when a pensioner realised she’d been duped and contacted police.
An investigation revealed seven others – men aged 55 and 80, and women aged between 61 and 94 had also been swindled.
Prosecutor Scot Dignan told the court their con began to unravel when the duo stole the bank card of Ruth Karpf, 94, who has since died.
They targeted her in Newton Mearns , near Glasgow, on March 19, 2014, as she went to buy a mobile phone top-up voucher.
Ruth reported the theft to police, who obtained CCTV footage from the locations where the card had been used.
Other victims were duped when Sandu pretended they had dropped a £20 note.
He would tell the OAPs, who were adamant they had not dropped the money, to open their purses or wallets to check.
Once they were opened, he would force the money in and swipe their cards without them noticing.
Sanda and Dragomir were remanded in custody for reports. They will be sentenced next month.