Convicted killer jailed for bank card scam in city carpark

A convicted murderer asked a unsuspecting shopper for directions before stealing her bank card.

Ion Nedelcu (51), Prussia Street, Dublin 7, appeared in custody before Galway District Court.

He pleaded guilty to the theft of a woman’s debit card at the Aldi car park, Galway Retail Park, on January 10 last.

He pleaded guilty also to stealing €161.11 cash from the woman by using her card at Tesco at Galway Shopping Centre on the same date, and to stealing a further €120 from the woman by using her card again at Tesco later that same day.

Inspector Brendan Carroll said the woman reported the theft of her card at Galway Retail Park to Gardai on January 13 last.

It was established the card had been used to make a purchase at Tesco for €161.11 and another purchase for €120.

Two further transactions were carried out at an ATM for €600 and €100, he added.

Judge Mary Fahy asked how did the theft of the card take place.

Insp Carroll explained the accused and another person watched as the woman used her card to pay for items in Aldi and they then distracted her outside in the car park.

One of them asked her for directions and while she was distracted the other person took the card.

“So, he was watching the injured party using her card and saw the PIN she entered and then later distracted her while the card was being taken. He then used it because he knew the PIN,” Judge Fahy said.

Insp Carroll said the bank had reimbursed the money taken from the woman’s account.

Judge Fahy said it was a rather nasty and cynical crime and would put people off giving directions to anyone else in the future.

Defence barrister, Gary McDonald said his client had come to Ireland from Romania looking for work but could not find any. He said he was part of a group of people involved in the crime.

Insp Carroll said a bench warrant has issued for Nedelcu’s arrest on March 16 last year when he failed to show up in court to answer the charge as he had left the country.

The warrant, he said, had been executed when he arrived back in the country and he went into custody on February 12 last.

Nedelcu, the court heard, had serious previous convictions in Romania.

Insp Carroll said he had received a 20-year sentence for homicide there in 1988 and was released on parole in 1996.

He had got five years for aggravated theft in 2002 and seven years in 2005 for dangerous driving causing death.

Judge Fahy said the accused had a “very serious background in criminality”.

“One would have thought that if he came here genuinely looking for work he would have ‘kept his nose clean’ rather than coming to Garda attention” she observed.

She sentenced Nedelcu to nine months in prison for stealing the bank card which she backdated to February 12.

She then imposed a consecutive six-month sentence for the theft of the first round of cash, which she suspended for two years on condition he be of good behaviour.

She imposed a concurrent four-month sentence for the second theft of case, which she suspended on the same basis.

Leave to appeal the sentences was granted along with free legal aid.