'Coward' from Oldham jailed for robbing woman's handbag

Adrian Licurici

A man from Oldham, who admitted stealing a woman's handbag in March last year after she had withdrawn money from a cash point, has been jailed.

Adrian Licurici (aged 27), of Ashton Road, has been sentenced to three years in prison after previously pleading guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to one count of robbery.

The conviction relates to an incident on the afternoon of Saturday, March 7, 2020 when Licurici, who was purporting to be injured by walking with a crutch, followed a woman in her 50s before grabbing her bag from behind and running off with it on Zeland Street.

The victim was left with injuries to her elbow and legs and was left understandably shaken after her belongings, including £25 in cash her mobile phone, and her bank card, were taken inside the bag.

The court heard how Licurici threw his crutch away when making off from the scene, which the victim was crucially able to recover for subsequent use in the investigation by examining finger prints.

The handbag was also recovered close to the scene but no other items were found when officers later searched Licurici's address.

Officers from GMP Oldham investigated numerous hours of CCTV footage to put together a compelling case that lead to police identifying, arresting, and charging Licurici with the robbery - to which he pleaded guilty on Monday, March 8, 2021.

Yesterday (Thursday) Licurici was ordered to serve three years.

Police Constable Scot Lamont, of GMP's Oldham district, said: "Adrian Licurici committed a cowardly act and thought that he could get away with brazenly thieving from a woman in broad daylight and running away from his crime.

"The woman showed brilliant resilience throughout the incident and the subsequent investigation as Licurici finally admitted his wrongdoing almost a year to the day since the stole from innocent victim without any regard for her at all.

"The victim may have been left injured and shaken by the incident, but still had the presence of mind to recover Licurici's crutch and this, along with important CCTV footage, proved to be significant evidence to successfully bring this case forwards.

"It is clear that the streets are safer while Licurici is behind bars, but more importantly I hope this conviction shows our commitment to tackling robbery in Oldham and continues to strive towards targeting offenders and protecting the public."

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