Hip replacement pensioner chased thief

A have-a-go-pensioner with a replacement hip chased a thief more than half her age who stole her purse at a Black Country shopping centre, a court heard.

Bosnian Dana Jovanovic struck as the 78-year-old browsed through stock at a clothes store, prosecutor Oliver Woolhouse told Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

But the victim did not give up after feeling a sudden movement in her bag and realising that her purse holding £125 cash had been snatched.

She saw 32-year-old Jovanovic moving quickly towards the exit of the Bon Marche shop in Wolverhampton city centre's Mander Centre, the court was told.

Mr Woolhouse said: "The female had been consistently standing close to her and invading her space before the incident.

She gave chase, shouting 'stop, you have got my purse,' caught up with the defendant and challenged her.

"At this point an eye witness saw Jovanovic discard the purse which was later returned to the pensioner, who by this time was finding it a little difficult to keep up because she was recovering from a hip replacement operation." The chase was taken up by passer-by Christopher Wetherstone.

He detained Jovanovic a short distance away and kept hold of her until police arrived.

The sneak thief, from Broad Street, Oldbury, has a string of previous convictions for theft and shoplifting committed throughout the country.

She admitted stealing the purse on January 11 this year and was jailed for 10 months by Recorder David Herbert who told her:

"This lady was out shopping and you deliberately targeted her as somebody who was vulnerable.

"You have numerous previous convictions for this type of offending. Many of those have also involved elderly victims." Jovanovic who had previous committed crime in Sussex, Hampshire, Basildon and Bolton now faces possible deportation after completing her sentence.

The victim said after the incident: "I was extremely shaken and upset.

"It was the first time that I had been out of the house since Christmas because of illness.

"Now I do not feel safe when I leave my home and do not like to go shopping on my own."