A 96-YEAR-OLD Bromsgrove man who fell victim to pickpockets while he was doing his weekly supermarket shop had been handed £300 worth of shopping vouchers by police officers.
On Sunday, June 19, Mr Crouch and his wife were out shopping and without realising two men followed them around Aldi on Sherwood Road.
During this time, one of the men has stolen Mr Crouch’s wallet from his back pocket. Mr Crouch did not realise his wallet was missing until he was ready to pay at the till.
The two men have now been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.
PC Joanne Barnes from Bromsgrove Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “This was a calculated and mean crime, targeting an elderly man and callously stealing his wallet.
“Understandably, Mr Crouch was extremely distressed when he realised that he had lost personal items as well as all of his money.
“Our investigation, which was led by a colleague, PC Hutton, quickly identified the two men responsible and they were arrested.”
They both appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates Court where they were jailed.
Alexandru Mihai, aged 41, from Berkshire and Lonut Cosmin Munteanu, aged 38, and from Derbyshire, both pleaded guilty to theft of another and were sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for one year with court costs and compensation awarded.
PC Barnes added: “The Bromsgrove team all felt terribly for the couple, conscious of how this would affect them in terms of their monthly shopping and putting food in their fridge and cupboards.
“We submitted an application to the West Mercia Police Community Fund and presented Mr Crouch with £300 of vouchers to replace the money stolen so they didn’t have to go without.
“It is important for those looking to take advantage of people, especially our elderly and the vulnerable, that working closely with our retailers and our partners, we will arrest you and you will face justice.”
West Mercia Police’s Police Community Fund aims to help victims of crime who lose out financially as well as support local community ventures.
