TWO cousins who carried out a series of purse snatches from shoppers in Kenilworth and Stratford town centres have been remanded in custody.
The case against Ivalina Nikolaeva and Grafinya Vasileva at Warwick Crown Court had been adjourned on an earlier occasion for footage from town centre CCTV cameras to be served on them.
And at the resumed hearing the cousins, both of Bishops Road, Croydon, pleaded guilty with the assistance of a Bulgarian interpreter to five charges of theft.
All five of the offences involved the thefts of purses on December 4 last year from women shoppers – the first two committed in Kenilworth and the other three in Stratford.
But their barrister Tim Sapwell said on the day before their appearance at Warwick Crown Court, Nikolaeva, 19, and Vasileva, 25, had appeared at Guildford Crown Court for more recent but similar matters.
And Vasileva was supposed to have been at Brighton Crown Court in September for other similar matters but did not attend because by then she was already in custody on the Guildford matters.
Mr Sapwell pointed out the cousins had been convicted of a single purse theft in Redditch in December, for which they were given suspended sentences by magistrates in February.
Recorder Nicholas Cartwright observed there had been ‘a lack of joined-up thinking and agreed enquiries should be made to link all the outstanding matters at one court.
He adjourned the case for those enquiries to be made and remanded Nikolaeva and Vasileva, who had previously been on bail for the Warwickshire offences, in custody.
