A man who was part of an operation to steal bank cards and withdraw cash in the Highlands and Moray was jailed for nine months yesterday.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that 25-year-old Mihai-Alexandru Catrina now faces deportation after admitting three charges of theft and two of fraud.
The offences were committed in Beauly, Nairn and Forres on July 21 and July 22 this year.
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald that a woman had inserted her card into the Bank of Scotland ATM in High Street, Beauly before the bank had opened.
“She was checking her balance and withdrawing cash from the machine which made noises like it was preparing the money,” she said.
“But the card was retained so she intended returning to the bank later that day when it opened. When she did, the bank advised her that the card had not been retained.
“Her account was checked and it was discovered that £250 had been withdrawn 10 minutes after she had been there in the morning.”
Mrs Eastwood said that a man who inserted his card into the ATM at Lloyds TSB in Nairn had it retained.
It was later used to buy goods worth a total of £46.25 from shops in Forres.
“Catrina had installed a device which retained the card. But CCTV on one of the ATMs filmed him and another man approaching the machine and fitting the device. It also captured the registration number of the car they were using,” she said.
“Police traced it and he was arrested later the following day.”
Defence solicitor David Patterson said: “He is likely to be deported now.”
Sentencing Catrina, the sheriff told him: “It was a sophisticated operation behind this and involved considerable planning. People worked hard to earn this money and only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Catrina’s co-accused, Cosmin-Claudiu Marinescu, had his not guilty plea to similar charges accepted by the Crown.
