A PICKPOCKET who travelled from London to Worcester to find work but instead stole a purse from a vulnerable pensioner has been jailed.

Vana Ilieva had initially denied committing the crime but later pleaded guilty to theft at Worcester Magistrates Court.

Matt Dodson, prosecuting, said police had received several reports from members of the public that they had been victims of purse thefts in Worcester on Saturday, October 8.

Officers passed on the information to security staff working in the city centre, including Gloria Hawthorn, who was patrolling the Shambles when she stepped into Card Factory.

She saw Ginka Nedkova, a co-defendent of Ilieva who has already been convicted and sentenced for the crime, take a purse from the handbag of a 75-year-old woman, who was sitting on a walking aid.

Ilieva became aware Ms Hawthorn was watching Nedkova and the 39-year-old grabbed some gift bags, asking her the price of them.

Believing this was a distraction technique, Ms Hawthorn told the defendant she did not work there and noticed Nedkova had begun walking away.

She took hold of Nedkova’s arm and then saw Ilieva take the purse and place it back into the victim’s bag, who was unaware of the theft up until that point. No money was missing.

The police were called and Ilieva was arrested. In an interview, she told officers she had seen the purse on the floor and was giving it back to the victim.

The victim, who suffers from health problems, said in a statement that she was “in shock” and that she would have been “angry” if the pair had taken the money as she would have had to wait for her next pension payment to get more.

Mr Dodson said Ilieva had two previous convictions for similar thefts.

He said her accomplice Nedkova had one previous conviction and was sentenced to 24 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and pay £300 compensation to the victim.

Speaking through a Bul-garian interpreter, Ilieva said she was sorry for what she had done and had come to Worcester with the intention of finding work, not stealing.

She explained she had been in the country for four years and was divorced, but sometimes lived with her husband.

Ilieva, of Allison Road, London, said she had a 17-year-old child who lived with her and worked as a cleaner, claiming no benefits.

Magistrates sentenced her to 22 weeks in prison, taking into account eight days she had already served in custody while on remand.