A COUPLE involved in distraction thefts from elderly victims in both the North-East and London will be sentenced next month.

Andrei and Gabriela Olaru were part of a three-strong group of Romanian nationals said to have stolen in such a manner from an 82-year-old woman in a department store in Bishop Auckland, in September.

Durham Crown Court heard that while one, Gabriela Olaru, distracted the woman with a query, one of the others took her bag and, within a short time, her bank card was being used to make a withdrawal of several hundreds of pounds from a cash machine in the vicinity.

The same card was used to make other purchases over the next couple of days before police picked them up via number plate recognition on the A1(M) in County Durham, shortly after the card was used to pay for several items at the Durham Services station, near Bowburn.

Gabriela Olaru, 27, her 39-year-old husband, Andrei, both of Thorntree Avenue, Middlesbrough, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and conspiracy to steal at a hearing at the court in November.

Both were remanded in custody to await similar matters passing through courts in London.

But when the case came back to court for sentence today, Ian West, prosecuting, said both have served jail sentences for a similar matter, after failing to appear for a hearing at Willesden in north-west London, at which they were convicted in their absence, earlier last year.

They appeared via video link at today’s hearing from Low Newton and Holme House prisons, in Durham and Stockton, respectively.

The court heard they still have a further matter to go before Westminster magistrates which is expected to be sent to Inner London Crown Court at a later date.

But, the court was told they could be sentenced for all other matters, including the Bishop Auckland offences, at Durham, next month.

Judge Christopher Prince adjourned the hearing and both will remain in custody to be sentenced via a further joint video link “appearance”, at the court on Friday February 3.

A third accused, 45-year-old Lucian Letcanu, said to be from the Manchester area, who was bailed following an earlier hearing facing similar charges relating to the Bishop Auckland offence, failed to appear in court for the hearing.

Mr West applied for the invoking of a bench warrant to seek his arrest, which Judge Prince agreed to issue.