Man is jailed for scamming elderly

Catalin Sandhu, who is originally from Romania but whose address is Crowther Street in Wolverhampton, England, targeted seven pensioners last summer, including some in Lisburn and at Sprucefield.

The scam involved looking over victims’ shoulders while they entered their PIN at check-outs before fooling them into opening purses or wallets outside.

Sandhu is to spend 15 months in jail.

The 39-year-old will serve the second half of his 30-month sentence on supervised licence on his release.

The victims of the scam were six elderly women and one man, all targeted by Sandhu and his co-accused on dates between 17 May and 23 June last year.

The judge at Belfast Crown Court said they had been picked “specifically because they were old and vulnerable”.

Over the course of the scam, the pair withdrew a total amount of £9,000 at supermarkets in greater Belfast, Lisburn, Sprucefield and Carrickfergus, as well as Lurgan and Craigavon