Thieves ‘thought M&S was a charity shop’ (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Thieves ‘thought M&S was a charity shop’

1:37pm Wednesday 14th February 2007 in

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FIVE Romanians, one of them a 13-year-old girl, were caught stealing clothing worth £1,200 from Marks and Spencer in Blackburn.

The town's magistrates heard that one of the four women claimed she thought it was a charity shop.

But the chairman said it was clear the women had travelled to Blackburn from Manchester with the intention of stealing.

Adriana Dragusin, 25, Milica Stolan, 28, Yoama Bucurestann, 29, Mihai Lacramioda, 36, and the girl all pleaded guilty to theft.

The girl was given an absolute discharge and the women conditional discharges for 12 months.

The magistrates said they had taken into account that the women had been in custody for 48 hours before they appeared in court.

Neil White, prosecuting, said none of the women had been able to provide police with an address and the most specific they could be was that they had travelled from Manchester.

Aftab Bakhat, defending, said the women were not unwilling to provide an address but unable.

"They know where they live but are not able to give the address," said Mr Bakhat who agreed with other defence lawyers that the matters were not serious enough for the magistrates to consider deportation orders.