A woman allegedly stole from pensioners and a wheelchair user in a series of crimes across parts of Northern Ireland, the High Court heard on Monday. Rita Miranda-Martin deliberately targeted up to 15 vulnerable victims to carry out purse and money raids at shops and other locations, prosecutors claimed. Police in Lurgan launched an investigation after a series of suspected thefts and fraud-related offences were reported across the southern area region. Prosecution counsel James Johnston said Ms Miranda-Martin was identified on CCTV footage, and claimed vulnerable victims were among those deliberately targeted. “There’s at least one incident where there’s a person in a wheelchair, a handbag hanging over the back of the wheelchair, and it’s approached by this applicant,” he alleged.

Source: The Irish Times February 12, 2018 20:45 UTC