A 39-year-old man has been jailed for 15 months for a spate of bank card crimes against elderly shoppers across Northern Ireland.
Catalin Sandhu, originally from Romania but with an address at Crowther Street, Wolverhampton, was told by Judge Gordon Kerr that he engaged in a "course of cynical and mean offending against victims picked specifically because they were old and vulnerable".
Sandhu was handed a 30-month sentence after he admitted seven counts of fraud by false representation, and one of attempted theft from a person. He will serve half in custody and half on supervised licence on his release.
Belfast Crown Court heard that the victims were six elderly women and one man who were targeted by Sandhu and a co-accused who is already serving a jail term.
The total amount involved was just over £9,000, with the offences committed at supermarkets across the north from May 17 to June 23 last year.
In each instance, when elderly customers were using their bank cards to pay for goods, one of the men would look over their shoulder to see what PIN they were entering.
One of them would then approach the pensioner outside, pretending they had dropped a bank note or asking for change so that the pensioner would open their purse or wallet.
Crown prosecutor Robin Steer said using a "sleight of hand" Sandhu and his co-accused were then able to remove the bank card, which was "used immediately to withdraw the maximum amount of cash and also purchase groceries".
Pensioners were targeted at supermarkets in greater Belfast as well as Lisburn, Sprucefield, Lurgan, Craigavon and Carrickfergus - whilst one of the cards was used in Drogheda.
A defence solicitor said Sandhu was "truly remorseful" and he wants to work on his release to raise funds and "repay the loss".
