A teenager has been jailed for snatching £1,000 from an elderly woman’s handbag in York city centre.
Eleonara Hristova, 19, swiped the cash and a phone from her victim outside St Sampson’s Centre, the social hub for the over-60s on Church Street.
It’s understood the elderly victim had drawn the money out to pay bills for Christmas.
Hristova – who was living in Hull at the time but currently has a registered address in London – admitted theft and appeared for sentence at York Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday).
At around midday on Friday, 18 November, Hristova spotted her victim at a bank in York city centre, the court was told.
She watched the woman take out a substantial amount of cash from her bank account, place it in her purse and then put her purse into her shopper trolley bag.
Hristova followed her victim through the city centre to the St Sampson’s Centre, where she was planning to have lunch.
When the woman momentarily left her shopping bag unattended, Hristova pounced. She took the purse along with the victim’s phone and keys.
Police were called and thanks to the CCTV footage which captured the incident, Hristova was identified and arrested a few days later.
When questioned she admitted she had stolen the items and had used about £60 of the money to buy clothes and food and spent the rest on ‘going out’ and rent.
Nomadic lifestyle
Harry Bayman, for Hristova, said the teenager had no income and had never been in trouble before.
Graham Parkin, who represented Hristova at a previous hearing, said she didn’t have any accommodation or “means of support” at the time.
She had been living a nomadic lifestyle taking her from London to Hull and York, where she had been “looking for work” after travelling from her home country of Bulgaria to the UK by van or minibus.
It was believed that she now lived with her mother in London and had been supporting herself through “casual work”.
Hristova had been remanded in custody in November last year because she had no fixed abode, but she gave her latest address as Lymington Avenue, London.
Deputy district judge Mr Spencer said Hristova had stolen “a lot of money” from an elderly woman and the offence was so serious it warranted a jail sentence.
He jailed the teenager for 12 weeks and ordered her to pay £154 to fund victim services.
‘Shaken and upset’
PC Bradley Bailey who ran the investigation said: “This was a blatant case of a thief targeting a vulnerable elderly person for their own material gain.
“Hristova’s actions left the victim shaken and upset about the fact she had been targeted in such a way and also fearful that someone might use her keys and enter her home.
“Officers took the victim home and ensured that her locks were changed and that she was left feeling secure in her own home.
“To Hristova, it was a case of wanting the cash and taking the cash, with absolutely no thought about the effects on the victim.
“North Yorkshire Police will not tolerate criminals targeting vulnerable victims and we will take every opportunity to bring those who do to justice.”
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