A GANG of Romanian thieves who stole a 93-year-old woman’s pension have been handed suspended sentences and told to carry out 120 hours of community service each.

Claudia Ionita, husband Nelu Ionita and Stefan Pintea admitted stealing two women shopper’s purses in Worcester city centre on Saturday.

Two of the three unemployed gang members appearing at Worcester Magistrates Court had only been in the country for two weeks – the other just three weeks.

The thieves, all of Clarence Road, Birmingham, stated they had only turned to crime after failing to find work in the UK.

In court, CCTV footage was shown of the group in Somefields, in Angel Street, Worcester, where they and a fourth gang member Marian Vlangar, also of Clarence Road, targeted a pensioner who had just drawn her £100 pension.

Nelu Ionita was seen taking the purse from the woman’s open handbag as the rest of the group surrounded and distracted the victim at about 12.15pm.

The victim alerted shop staff and police issued descriptions of the group to other officers.

Within minutes, another woman was targeted as she shopped with her daughter in Durrants, in Mealcheapen Street.

Store CCTV recordings showed one gang member holding up a jacket to block staff’s view while another distracted the victim, allowing Nelu Ionita to take the woman’s purse from her bag.

The group were later spotted by police in a car at the junction of Hereford Road and Bromyard Road and the vehicle was followed and stopped near Bransford, where the occupants were arrested.

The four were carrying £300 cash while both purses were later recovered – one was found dumped in a city centre post box.

Mark Soper, prosecuting, said both victims had been “very angry” and the 93-year-old “annoyed at the loss of her pension.”

Mark Lister, defending Claudia Ionita and Pintea, said the offences were “clearly organised” but there was no suggestion of credit card fraud as a motive.

Susie Duncan, representing Nelu Ionita, said her cash-strapped client had found the pensioner’s purse “very tempting” given his financial difficulties.

On being told of the pensioner’s age he was “very upset” and apologised to both victims, she added.

All three were given a month in prison for each theft suspended for six months, to be served concurrently.

Vlangar, who was dealt with separately, admitted the two thefts, driving other than in accordance with his driver’s licence on the same date and breaching a conditional discharge handed out on Monday, September 22.

He was remanded in custody for sentencing on Monday, November 3.