A woman who posed as a charity worker and snatched a necklace from a 78-year-old after following her home from Tesco in Orpington has been jailed for two years and eight months.
Daniela Niculai, 31, of Nightingale Road in Edmonton, was sentenced for her “cowardly” crime on Monday, September 23.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on April 2, when the victim parked her car in a disabled bay outside the supermarket. Niculai approached the elderly woman under the pretence of collecting signatures for a charity. The victim was tricked into signing a fake form, providing her name and home postcode in the process.
Niculai then followed the woman to her home in Swanley, where she again approached, offering to help unload her shopping. Ignoring the victim’s requests to be left alone, Niculai insisted on giving her a hug, placing her hands around the elderly woman’s neck. Moments later, Niculai left, and the victim realized her gold necklace had been stolen.
Fortunately, Niculai was captured on a camera outside the victim’s home. She was later arrested at her residence in north London and charged with robbery.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Niculai had committed two similar offences against elderly victims outside supermarkets in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
Detective Constable Nell Shortis, from Kent Police, praised the swift work of officers, saying:
“It is extremely rare for elderly victims to be so callously targeted in this manner. The impact can be truly devastating, causing long-lasting fear and anxiety. There can be little doubt that Niculai would have repeated her cowardly actions, targeting other vulnerable people. I’m thankful our officers were able to track her down so quickly.”
Niculai has been sentenced to two years and eight months behind bars.
Detective Constable Shortis expressed hope that the affected victims can now find some peace, knowing that Niculai is unable to harm others.
