A Crawley handbag thief, who preyed on a string of women in busy locations in London’s financial district, has dodged jail despite a history of similar previous crimes.
Jobless Paul Edward Regan, 47, of Puffin Road, Ifield was linked to the spate of thefts after a police officer recognised him from a CCTV appeal.
He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court to stealing a purse containing £30 from Patricia Diaz at The Liberty Bounds pub,Tower Hill (pictured) on January 17.
Regan also asked for three similar offences to be taken into consideration namely stealing a black purse containing £20 from Jennifer Fairhurst on September 30; a purse from Marjan Bos-Beuving on November 28 and a purse containing £28 from Harriet Williams on December 13, last year.
Prosecutor Miss Alexa Morgan told the court Ms Diaz was sitting with a friend in the upper level of the pub when she noticed her handbag had been moved away from her chair.
When she looked inside her purse and mobile phone were missing.
CCTV captured Regan stealing the items and he was linked to the crime plus the other thefts while being held in custody when an officer recognised him.
Regan was remanded in custody between April and June and eventually received a community order coupled with a curfew at Kingston Crown Court for other offences.
The drug addict, who lives with his mother, has thirteen pages of previous convictions, but the magistrates decided to allow the community order to continue.
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