TWO PICKPOCKETS were jailed for seven months yesterday, following a number of thefts on Galway Shoppers.
Stanka Deneva (21) and Mariyana Petrova (33), from Bulgaria, claimed to be staying in a hostel in Dublin city.
The two were caught on CCTV stealing women’s purses in discount stores in Galway city.
The first incident was on December 13 in the €2 shop, Englington Street. One of the women distracted a shopper, while the other stole her purse, which was worth €10 and contained €200.
The two women returned to Dublin that evening, travelling back to Galway the next day, where they reversed roles, and stole another purse worth €50 and containing €240. This incident occurred in the €2 at Mainguard Street.
The two women are professional pickpockets, and are part of a wider pick-pocketing organisation. Both women claim to have children in Bulgaria, and said that they came to Galway to find work.
Judge Mary Fahy sentenced the two women to a total of seven months in prison.
Shoppers should be aware of their belongings at all times. Do not keep purses in pockets or bags that you can’t see, and be cautious in large crowds of people.
There are a number of professional pickpockets on the prowl, especially at this time of year, when people are doing their Christmas shopping. They mainly target busy shops, and prey on unsuspecting people.
Similar incidents occurred in the first week of October, on the University Road. The targets were NUIG students, and predominantly female. A large number of purses were stolen, and on one day alone, the number of stolen purses came up to 14.
Earlier in the month, Gardai advised Galway shoppers to be extra vigilant with their belongings, and alerted the public that opportunistic thieves are on the move.
The public would do well to heed this warning while doing their last-minute Christmas shopping.
20 Dec 2011
by Jessica Thompson
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| Image: Google Images |
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