Swiss student’s night club theft

CCTV trapped drunken language student as he stole from a clubber’s handbag, Bournemouth Magistrates heard today.
Andrew Newman, prosecuting said Farid Ben Mohamed, 32, of Herbert Road Bournemouth and his girl friend Michelle Hofer, 22, from the same address stole a camera and a wallet from another person’s handbag in Lava Ignite Night club of Bournemouth on January 23.
It was detected by CCTV and security guards that Miss Hofer was playing with the camera after Mr Mohamed moved them from another’s bag. He then put them in another brown bag which was unattended and zipped it up.
Terry Scanlan, defending Michelle Hofer, claimed that if a theft did take place Miss Hofer didn’t have knowledge of it and she pleaded not guilty. The magistrates released her on unconditional bail and sent her case to Wimborne court on May 7 at 10am.
Mr Mohamed who doesn’t have any previous convictions, pleaded guilty.
Stephen Nichols, defending Farid Ben Mohamed who is in custody, said that Mr Mohamed came to England from Switzerland for eight weeks to improve his English. He drank four whiskeys at that night and he is not used to drinking alcohol. His girl friend asked for a cigarette from another person in the night club. The person directed them to her handbag to get the package. He then took items from the handbag and put them into his girl friend’s bag. The police called and arrested him.
“He fully accepts the offence. He wasn’t clear what he was doing at that night. When he goes back to Switzerland he will start to work. He has got no money in his bank account. He is waiting for money from his mother,” Mr Nichols added.
An interpreter helped the couple to communicate with the court.
District Judge Roger House decided 18 months conditional discharge. Mr House said: “If you don’t commit any offence in this country nothing further happens to you.” Mr Mohamed wasn’t asked to pay anything due to spending quite a lot time in custody.