Illegal immigrant jailed for stealing £500 from OAP at ATM

An illegal immigrant who stole £500 from an 88-year-old man at a cash point has been jailed after the victim said he had “lost his independence” following the incident.

Marian Barbu, 30, spotted the elderly victim withdrawing money from a Lloyds Bank ATM in Merthyr Tydfil town centre on January 9 last year and moved in to target him.

The theft

Barbu approached the pensioner while he used the machine and began speaking to him, telling him to “cancel” the transaction. The unexpected interaction left the victim confused and distracted – and as the cash dispensed from the ATM, Barbu snatched the £500 directly in front of him.

The 88-year-old looked on in shock as his money was taken. Barbu then placed a device on top of the machine before calmly walking away from the scene.

A second man, Samoila Vasile, 21, had been seen walking with Barbu towards the victim beforehand and passed the elderly man shortly before the theft took place.

The victim left the bank shaken and reported the crime to police later that day. He told officers the ordeal meant he had “lost his independence” as he would no longer go into town on his own.

The arrests

Both men were detained the following day after being found inside a vehicle travelling northbound on the M5 motorway in Gloucestershire. Upon their arrests, officers discovered that both Barbu and Vasile were in the country illegally and in breach of deportation orders.

Previous offending

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard on Thursday that Barbu, of Fulham Street, Oldham, had 14 previous convictions to his name, including offences of theft, robbery, and a prior deportation breach. He admitted theft and knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.

Vasile, of Fishponds Road, Bristol, had nine previous convictions including theft, robbery, and criminal damage. He pleaded guilty to knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.

Mitigation

Hywel Davies, representing Barbu, told the court his client would be deported to Romania following his sentence but would be separated from his five children who live in the UK.

Harriet Ealden, for Vasile, said her client was remorseful and has a three-year-old daughter in Romania.

Sentencing

Sentencing the pair, Judge Daniel Williams said: “You saw (the victim’s) vulnerability, approached him and spoke to him to confuse and distract him before grabbing £500 from the cash point.”

Barbu was sentenced to a total of three years’ imprisonment, while Vasile received 12 months’ imprisonment.