A "devious" pickpocket who stole the purses of two elderly women has been jailed.

Anca Almas, 25, preyed on the pensioners - aged 88 and 76 - during a crime spree in Penrith town centre on August 19.

She was jailed at Carlisle Crown Court having pleaded guilty to four thefts and one count of fraud.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson said one of the victims had her purse and contents stolen while in the WH Smith store. She remembered a woman being "close to her for a few seconds".

The other unsuspecting OAP was targeted in M&Co.

"She was approached by a young female with a foreign accent. The woman was trying to get her assistance in finding the correct size of clothes," said Mr Rogerson.

"This was essentially a distraction technique because a short while later she realised her purse had gone from her handbag."

Almas stole clothing and footwear from M&Co and Shoe Zone. She was arrested after using the pensioners' bank cards to fraudulently pay for goods in Sports Direct.

The Romanian national was said to be a mum-of-two. The youngest - aged seven months - had been brought to court by the defendant and her partner.

The court heard Almas had previous convictions for theft in Poland, Italy and Spain.

Speaking of her Cumbria crimes Greg Hoare, defending, admitted: "The offences were clearly mean."

Almas, of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, sobbed in the dock as she was jailed for eight months by Judge Peter Davies.

He told her: "You are a devious and dishonest person. You picked on old ladies.

"They are vulnerable, unsuspecting and unable to chase you - the sort of people you selected because you knew they wouldn't catch you.

"You are just dishonest - a thief who picks on old people. And old people will not be picked on in my court."