Man jailed after stealing more than £11,000 from elderly and vulnerable victims

15 October 2019, 22:11

A man has been jailed for stealing £11,200 from elderly victims in London.

Romanian national Daniel Calinescu, 42, has been sentenced to five years in prison after stealing thousands of pounds from elderly Londoners.

Calinescu would watch his victims withdraw large sums of money over the counter at banks and then follow them and steal the cash as they boarded a bus.

On two of these occasions a razor blade or knife was used to slash the victim’s bag to steal the cash.

Calinescu stole £2,500 from a 78-year-old woman in St John’s Hill, Battersea on 9 July, and £2,500 from a 62-year-old woman in Shrewsbury Avenue, Harrow on 19 July.

He also stole £1,700 from a a 73-year-old woman in Barrett’s Grove, Hackney on 29 July and £4,500 from a 72-year-old woman in High Street, Ealing on 20 August.

Calinescu worked a part of a group of between four and six individuals to target elderly and vulnerable people and steal from them.

Sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Joanna Korner told Calinescu: “You have pleaded guilty to four counts of theft, the most unpleasant and nasty offences which can be committed within this category of crime.

"No doubt you were deliberately targeting victims because of their obvious vulnerability.

"No other punishment is suitable other than immediate imprisonment; it must be of some length to mark public disapproval of people such as yourself and your activities."

DS Shaun Holyhead, who led the investigation, said: “I am pleased with the conviction and sentence handed down today. We are working hard to identify Calinescu’s associates and other criminals who target Londoners in this way.”

He plead guilty to four counts of theft at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday 15 October.

Enquiries are ongoing to identify and bring to justice the other members of the group.