A Romanian who flew to the UK to pickpocket shoppers has been jailed after brazenly telling police: 'A worker has to work, a thief has to steal.'
Trica Niculescu travelled to
Birmingham to target customers at the city's German
Christmas market.
The 58-year-old had only been in the UK for six days when he was spotted unzipping an 11-year-old girl's rucksack on December 17 in the city.
A stallholder also saw him slip his hand into a woman's pocket after she withdrew money from a cash point.
Two West Midlands Police officers patrolling the German market collared Niculescu and arrested him on suspicion of attempted theft.
In police interview he admitted following dozens of people on the day, before telling stunned officers: 'A worker has to work, a thief has to steal.'
He admitted unzipping the girl's rucksack, looking inside but withdrew his hand because there was 'nothing worth stealing.'
Niculescu, from Craiova in southern Romania, was jailed for eight months after he admitted two counts of attempted theft at Birmingham Crown Court last Thursday.
'In interview he almost came across as being proud of being a pickpocket and didn't seem to express any remorse for targeting innocent people and even children.
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