<p>
	Northern Ireland High Court grants bail to heavily pregnant accused in theft case</p>
<p>
	A heavily pregnant woman accused of targeting a pensioner in a distraction theft can be released from custody because she is about to give birth, a Northern Ireland High Court judge ruled.</p>
<p>
	Lamita Mihai (20) was granted bail on a charge of stealing &pound;140 (about &euro;193) from the 86-year-old woman in Derry. The Romanian national is to live at an address in Co Donegal.</p>
<p>
	Mr Justice Donnell Deeny said: &ldquo;The fact she will reside outside the jurisdiction would normally be a significant difficulty about granting bail.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;However, it&rsquo;s outweighed, in my view, in this instance by the fact she is about to give birth.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	Ms Mihai, of Mill Road in Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal and another woman are alleged to have approached the victim in a car park at Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre on March 20th.</p>
<p>
	The two women are alleged to have asked the woman for change of a coin and then distracted her by walking her over to a trolley bay, the court heard.</p>
<p>
	Kate McKay, prosecuting, claimed Ms Mihai then took the pensioner&rsquo;s purse, supposedly to look for change. The pensioner later realised that at least &pound;140 was missing.</p>
<p>
	PSNI contacted</p>
<p>
	Two days later the pensioner contacted the PSNI to say she had spotted the same two women approaching her 94-year-old friend near St Columb&rsquo;s Cathedral in the city, the prosecution claimed.</p>
<p>
	It was alleged that the two had asked this woman for change to make a phone call. Police then arrived on the scene and detained the pair.</p>
<p>
	Opposing bail, Ms McKay acknowledged Ms Mihai&rsquo;s pregnant condition.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;While one has sympathy for her dilemma, there are major concerns about her re-offending,&rdquo; the barrister said.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;These are mean offences where vulnerable, elderly people were targeted.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	Ms McKay argued that the prison in which the accused was held has the facilities to give birth.</p>
<p>
	Defence counsel Stephen Mooney said his client is nine months pregnant and poses no risk of fleeing. &ldquo;Police believed she may have gone into labour while in the police station at one point,&rdquo; Mr Mooney said.</p>
<p>
	Granting bail, Mr Justice Deeny noted the accused&rsquo;s father is willing to put up a &pound;500 cash surety to secure her release.</p>
<p>
	The judge ordered Ms Mihai to surrender her identity card before being released from custody.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/woman-must-be-released-from-custody-to-give-birth-court-rules-1.2161397">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/woman-must-be-released-from-custody-to-give-birth-court-rules-1.2161397</a></p>
