Lupco Ristevski in Ringwood court for stealing wallets, phones

A serial thief has learned his fate after he couldn’t keep his hands out of women’s bags in supermarkets across eastern Melbourne and racked up a $22,000 bill using stolen bank cards.

Lupco Ristevski. Picture: VIC Police

A light-fingered thief who targeted women across Melbourne and used their credit cards to rack up more than $22,000 in stolen goods will go to jail.

Lupco Ristevski, from Port Kembla in NSW, appeared in the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing from and using the bank cards of 15 different women.

During April and May this year, the 49-year-old targeted women doing their grocery shopping in Woolworths, Coles and Aldi stores in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

The court heard Ristevski would wait until his victims were distracted before reaching into their trolleys or bags to grab their wallets or phones.

He then used the bank cards to rack up $22,513 in fraudulent charges at supermarkets, lotto agencies, tobacco shops and liquor outlets.

Lupco Ristevski

Ristevski targeted his victims in Ringwood, Croydon, Forrest Hill, Knox, Lilydale, Scoresby, Camberwell, Rowville, and Glen Iris.

One victim’s impact statement said how the woman felt “unsafe” in her home and doesn’t like going outside.

She said got anxious when going to the shops and is constantly “checking over her shoulder”.

Ristevski had already served 48 days in custody for the matters but won’t be getting out any time soon after Magistrate Caroline Boult handed down a sentence of 15 months.

The court heard Ristevski stole the credit cards only weeks after being let out on parole in NSW.

Defence told the court it wasn’t Ristevski’s “intention” to commit the offending and that his life had been “crippled” by his meth and gambling addictions.

However, Ms Boult said she believed the offending was “pre-meditated” and “planned”.

“All the victims would have been significantly affected by the offending,” she said.