A street thief who used bizarre dance moves to distract victims while pickpocketing them in Birmingham has been sentenced to 24 weeks in jail.
Anis Bardich, 27, was captured on CCTV performing strange, attention-grabbing dance moves to confuse his targets as he stole their wallets and mobile phones. The incidents took place between July and August of last year, with Bardich preying on four people in the city center.
According to the court, while distracting his victims with his unorthodox dance routines, Bardich managed to steal their valuables without them noticing. The stolen bank cards were later used for fraudulent purchases in shops, and Bardich was eventually traced by police using facial recognition technology.
West Midlands Police officers, working under Operation Taurus, noticed a pattern in the thefts and scoured CCTV footage. Bardich was convicted of four counts of theft and four counts of fraud by false representation.
At Birmingham Magistrates Court on March 27, Bardich was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £2,240 in compensation to the victims he stole from.
PC Amy O’Connor, from Operation Taurus, remarked: “As you can see from the video clip, pickpockets adopt various tricks and tactics to steal people’s property. This case highlights how even the most unusual methods, like dance moves, can be used to commit crime.”
