FOOTAGE shows a female thief distracting a McDonald’s customer – before seamlessly swiping his phone off the table.
Nirix Stanescu, 24, has been jailed after admitting nine “distraction thefts” of mobile phones across the Home Counties.
Between May and July this year, Stanescu would enter restaurants and approach people eating meals with their phones on the table.
Stanescu would put a map or piece of paper over the phone – pocketing it while the victim was distracted.
Footage shows canny crook Stanescu in action at a McDonald’s in Reading.
Smiling and dressed smartly in a gilet, she is seen approaching a man with a piece of paper in hand.
Stanescu asks the man a question about the sheet and slips it over his phone as he takes a look.
She then walks away with the phone tucked behind the sheet of paper – with the man none the wiser.
Stanescu has now been convicted of a spate of mobile phone thefts across Surrey, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
Four of the thefts happened in the leafy Surrey towns of Staines-upon-Thames, Walton-on-Thames and Woking.
The others took place in Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough, Wokingham and Oxford.
Stanescu, of no fixed abode, was arrested on September 25 and has been jailed for eight months after admitting nine counts of theft.
Detective Constable Michael Hanson said: “Stanescu would use distracting techniques to target her victims and steal their phones.
“I am pleased that she pleaded guilty at the first hearing and has now been sentenced to prison as a result.
“I hope that her time in prison is used constructively to reflect on her offending behaviour.
“Although Stanescu used distractive techniques, this case is a timely reminder of the risks involved in leaving property in full view.
“I would advise people to keep their property close at hand, or out of sight, to prevent opportunists such as Stanescu targeting them.”
Inspector Chris Thoday said: “We worked closely with Thames Valley Police to ensure Stanescu was held accountable.
“Her repeated and targeted offending stretched across multiple counties.
“By reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses, we identified Stanescu and her tactics for stealing mobile phones.
“This type of distraction theft is something we’re seeing right across Surrey.
“We urge people to stay aware of their surroundings and secure their belongings while out.”
