A man who stole a purse from a staff room at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital in a burglary described as a “gross intrusion” has been jailed.
Fraudster Rashid Mahmood was condemned for what magistrates described as a “despicable act” when he appeared in court.
The bench was told that he deliberately went to the hospital to steal and then used stolen bank cards to buy pizza and mobile phone top-up.
Jailing Mahmood for six months at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Friday, presiding magistrate Stuart Hall told him: “This burglary was not in a dwelling house but it was none the less a despicable act in our view.
“You went to the QEH with no other lawful purpose.
“You were going there deliberately to steal and this was a gross intrusion to the member of staff who worked there.”
Mahmood, 42, of Churchill Court, Telford Close, Lynn, pleaded guilty to charges of stealing the purse on August 10, last year, and fraudulently using a Capital One card from inside the purse to make two attempts at withdrawing £40 from a cash machine on the same day.
He also pleaded guilty to two further counts of fraud, by using cards to buy food worth £42.47 from Domino’s Pizza and £20 worth of mobile phone top-up from Vodafone.
Mahmood asked for three similar offences to be taken into consideration by the bench. He appeared before the court in custody, having previously been jailed for 12 months in October last year for a separate offence of burglary with intent.
Yvonne Neill, prosecuting, said Mahmood was seen on the QEH’s CCTV system entering a ward and then a private staff locker room.
She said: “He stole a purse from a handbag and then leaves the hospital. He emptied the purse and then disposed of it along Gaywood Road.”
Calvin Saker, mitigating, said Mahmood was sorry for what he had done, and had failed to withdraw any cash with the stolen cards.
He said: “He is remorseful as there was a victim in this matter and she was distressed by his actions.”
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