THIS is the face of a pickpocket who has been jailed – and threatened with being thrown out of the country after serving her sentence. Izabela Roschke, aged 31, was convicted of two thefts of purses in Stevenage and asked for eight similar offences in Hit

THIS is the face of a pickpocket who has been jailed - and threatened with being thrown out of the country after serving her sentence.

Izabela Roschke, aged 31, was convicted of two thefts of purses in Stevenage and asked for eight similar offences in Hitchin, Bishop's Stortford and Hatfield to be taken into consideration.

At Luton Crown Court on Tuesday she was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment and given a two-year anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) banning her from entering Hertfordshire.

At a separate hearing, Judge Jeffrey Burke supported the recommendation that Roschke, a Polish national who had been living in Ilford, Essex, should be deported after her sentence has been served.

Det Sgt Liz Chalk from the eastern area's dedicated purse dipping unit said: "The rulings and punishments handed out to Izabela Roschke send out a clear message that the police and the courts are committed to tackling this type of crime which preys on the most vulnerable members of our society.

"We will do everything we can to prevent purse dipping from happening and bring to justice anyone committing this crime in our towns."

Anti-social behaviour officer PC John Ivens added: "This is the third ASBO that has been granted for convicted pickpockets in the eastern area and I am very satisfied with the outcome of this case."

Since the launch of a local campaign against pickpockets in April, crimes of this type have reduced from, at its peak, six or seven offences a day to less than two per week.

Police say that purse dippings, where a team of offenders usually distract a victim and then steal their purse from their bag, are preventable.