A pickpocket who targeted elderly and vulnerable women has been jailed for just under three years.

Prajne Sarbonavic, 31, committed crimes in Ashby, Coalville and Swadlincote, as well as a series of towns across the Midlands.

She was eventually arrested in Coalville and, according to police, was 'caught red-handed'.

Swadlincote Safer Neighbourhood Team said a total of 19 offences were discovered and pursued, with all victims being female and aged at least 74 the eldest being 90 years old."

The SNT added: "Sarbonavic targeted those who, by their very age and nature, were vulnerable, and the impact of her offending was much more than simply financial.

"Every victim reported feeling a loss of independence, security and isolation, with some of them having their phones stolen, their only forms of contact with extended family members, leaving them alone and unable to seek comfort for weeks."

She stood trial at Derby Crown Court where the full details of her offences were revealed.

The SNT added: "Due to the quality of the evidence obtained, Sarbonovic had no choice but to plead guilty to all of the offences with two further similar offences taken into consideration.

"This is a phenomenal result, as none of the victims could actually identify or describe her due to her prowess at pickpocketing - it wasn't until hours later the victims realised items were missing, many simply thought that they had lost their purses or money."

Recorder Adrian Reynolds at Derby Crown Court said: "This was thought out, planned, determined, cunning, offending.

"You were going from town to town selecting not just elderly but, in some cases very elderly individuals. You cannot behave on the scale you have and expect any mercy from the courts. My thoughts are with the people you have victimised for months."

PC Joe Stafford, Officer in Case, said: "Knowing that Sarbonovic has been handed a heavy sentence for her offending, having already served seven months in prison, and having another 32 months added, is why I joined the Safer Neighbourhood Team; to protect those who are vulnerable, and in this case, those who were targeted due to their advanced age, their trusting nature, and their very character.

"I understand that Sarbonovic cried during her sentencing hearing - I hope that she has finally understood the effect of her actions on others, who have doubtless felt angry and upset for being the victims of such callous offending.

"To each of the victims, I would like to say that I hope you have some sense of justice, and are able to put this matter behind you, finding the confidence to regain your independence."

Alongside the prison sentence, Sarbonovic has also been ordered to pay costs, and will be subject to deportation from the UK on completion of her prison sentence.

Swadlincote SNT described how she was finally tracked down: "You may remember that over Summer and September last year, Swadlincote SNT dealt with a report of a 'pickpocket' who was targeting vulnerable females in charity shops in Swadlincote Town Centre, stealing their purses, cards and other valuables, before fleeing the scene and using the cards to make contactless payments in neighbouring towns.

"A 31 year old female, Prajne Sarbonovic was identified as a prime suspect and efforts were made to track her down using plain clothes patrol, hot spot policing and trawling hours of CCTV footage.

"An image of her was obtained early on, but identity was not recognised by the public through appeals, and it seemed that the trail had gone cold.

"Through some fantastic police work, however, from the ANPR team at Derbyshire Constabulary, a vehicle was linked to her and stopped a few days later in Coalville she was arrested at the scene and found in possession of purses and ID cards belonging to an elderly female, local to Coalville. It quickly became clear that SARBANOVIC had just committed another theft and had been caught red-handed with the stolen goods.

"She was taken to custody where further items including mobile phones, house keys, wallets, purses, bank cards, bus passes and library cards were found during searches.

"Through painstaking enquiries, these were linked back to offences taking place across the East Midlands region. Sarbonovic was charged with a number of offences in October and remanded to prison to await trial and sentencing, however the investigation had only just begun.

"Realising that there were likely many more victims of her crimes, as some of the belongings found were never traced back to an owner, PC Stafford set up Operation Endurance II.

"Contacting neighbouring forces, he sought out any similar methods of offending and viewed CCTV from each investigation. This led him to Lichfield, Coalville, Ashby, Bakewell, Buxton, Alfreton, Belper, Oadby, Matlock, and Somercotes."