A pensioner’s bus pass was among the haul obtained by a Bulgarian immigrant who pilfered purses and handbags from various Fife locations.
An 82-year-old woman in St Andrews was among those targeted by Elenka Nikolova.
Cupar Sheriff Court heard how the accused stole purses and handbags during a month-long spree of thefts. The 26-year-old woman admitted a total of five charges.
Nikolova first stole a handbag containing a purse, £60 in cash, two gift cards, an RAF identification card, driving licence and various bank and credit cards from the Tesco store in Cupar on February 19.
She then used one of the bank cards to access bank machines in Fullerton Road, Glenrothes, and eventually managed to steal a further £300.
Her appetite for crime still unsated, she then went to St Andrews, where she stole an 82-year-old’s purse from a shop in Market Street.
Among Nikolova’s spoils this time were a bus pass, £60 in cash and a credit card all belonging to the helpless pensioner.
Finally, on March 12 at Poundstretchers in Leven she stole a purse containing £178 in cash.
Appearing in the dock at Cupar on Thursday alongside an interpreter, Nikolova admitted all the charges.
She was ordered to pay a fine of £500 and a total of £488 in compensation to her victims.
The court was told that the £178 stolen from the shop in Leven had been recovered.
Solicitor Alan Davie said Nikolova had come to Scotland with her husband in a bid to find work.
While she had not been able to find employment, her husband had been more successful and so the pair had some savings.
Nikolova agreed to pay off both the fine and compensation order on the spot.
Sentencing Nikolova, Sheriff Mungo Bovey described Nikolova’s offences as “serious”.
However, he added that he took into account the fact she had already spent a total of two weeks and three days in custody since her arrest.
The sheriff also noted that Nikolova had admitted her guilt from the outset and concluded that, in all the circumstances, he was able to deal with the matter by way of a financial penalty.