HANDBAG THIEF SPARED JAIL AFTER TARGETING WOMEN AT NIGHTCLUB

Man and accomplice caught by security staff

THIEF Ryan Twardun stole three handbags from a city centre nightclub.

The 29-year-old was with another man in Fiction, Hanley, when they saw two women leave their booth to assist their friend who had fallen when going to the toilets.

They stole the handbags from the booth and went to the loos. But the girls spotted them and alerted security officers.

Now Twardun, who has convictions for 36 offences, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court

Prosecutor Ian Ball said the three victims were socialising in Fiction at 1.30am on May 20, 2019 and came into contact with some lads including the defendant.

“One of the girls slipped on a step when going to the toilet and two friends left the booth to help. Their handbags were stolen,” he said. “The group returned to the booth and realised the handbags and contents, including phones and bank cards, had been stolen.”

One of the victims spotted the defendant with another man going to the toilets. They got the security guards to go in the toilets and they retrieved the bags and let the men go.

But they did not check the contents of the bags. One of the victims had an iphone, £50, and a bank card missing. Another had £40 missing and the third was missing her Gucci purse.

The security officers contacted CCTV operators and the defendant and his accomplice were tracked down. All the stolen items were recovered except one victim was missing £50 and a second was £40 out of pocket.

Twardun, of Kingstock, Market Drayton, pleaded guilty to three charges of theft. The other man, who has no previous convictions, admitted the charges at an earlier hearing and received a fine.

The court heard the defendant accepted it was an ‘unpleasant’ offence. He has been in dark places and has a number of mental health issues including paranoia, borderline personality disorder, anxiety and depression.

He is now engaging with mental health services and works full-time as a builder.

As part of the suspended sentence,

Twardun must complete 80 hours’ unpaid work, a six-month alcohol treatment requirement, a rehabilitation activity requirement for up to 30 days and a thinking skills programme.