A mother-of-six has been sentenced to prison for participating in a cruel distraction burglary that resulted in the theft of £25,000 in cash and jewellery from an elderly victim. Catalina Stanciu, aged 37, was one of four women wearing headscarves who were captured on CCTV targeting the victim outside his home in Handsworth on July 8 last year.
Stanciu, of Sabell Road, Smethwick, admitted burglary and was sentenced to three years and one month at Birmingham Crown Court on April 24. The Romanian national also faces deportation upon her release.
Nick Devine, prosecuting, told the court that the victim, an elderly man with poor English, was in his front garden at around 10am when the women approached. They asked if he would sell them vegetables from his garden, and he kindly offered to give some for free. The women then engaged him in conversation, distracting him while a third woman wearing a red headscarf entered his home. A fourth woman appeared outside the address.
Stanciu was seen using her phone, which the prosecution inferred was to communicate with the woman inside. The intruder collected cash and jewellery from two places in the house and secreted them about her person before exiting.
Approximately £4,000 of the victim's daughter's savings were stolen from a bag, £9,000 in cash was taken from a drawer, jewellery valued at £10,000 was removed from a bedroom, and another £2,000 in cash was taken from an office cabinet. In a victim impact statement, the daughter said her money was saved for a family holiday and some jewellery had sentimental value.
Stanciu committed the burglary while subject to a community order for a previous theft offence. James Dunstan, defending, said this was her first time in custody and that her partner and six children had returned to Romania following a family bereavement, causing her anxiety and grief. She had already received confirmation of deportation after release.
Recorder Ben Close remarked on the contrast between the victim's kindness and Stanciu's cruelty, noting that the victim offered free food unsuspectingly. He added that none of the stolen items had been recovered and that while remorse was mentioned, it did not appear genuine, nor had she provided information about the other women involved.
