Big Issue seller stole from blind student

Mar 14 2009 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

A VENDOR of The Big Issue yesterday admitted stealing £80 from a blind student. Bianca Mihai, 29, had earlier denied stealing the money from Aisha Hussain, 22, last September 6.

Mihai is a familiar figure on the streets of Durham City, where for several years she has sold the magazine, which aids homeless people, on pitches in Silver Street, Saddler Street and North Road.

The court was told that Mihai, of Croydon Road, Benwell, Newcastle, but originally from Romania, had previous convictions for dishonesty.

She was accompanied by an interpreter when she appeared at Durham Crown Court yesterday.

She pleaded guilty to theft after her barrister Nick Peacock said she had changed her plea from a previous hearing in January.

At an earlier hearing Janet Coxon, prosecuting, said an aggravating feature in the case was that Ms Hussain was partially sighted.

It is alleged Mihai accompanied Ms Hussain to a cash machine in Durham city centre after she agreed to withdraw money to buy a copy of the magazine.

The prosecution say Mihai pocketed the money after telling Ms Hussain the cash machine was not working.

Ms Coxon said the money had been returned to Ms Hussain after the arrest. Mihai was remanded on unconditional bail until April 2 to reappear at Durham Crown Court for sentencing.

Judge Richard Lowden told her: “I am not making any kind of promise as to what sort of sentence there will be.”

The Big Issue magazine is sold by homeless and “vulnerably housed” people. In order to sell the magazine, a potential vendor will need to prove they are homeless by showing receipts from any hostels that they have been staying in or a letter of referral.

Once signed up, vendors undergo a training session in which the magazine’s services and the pitch system are explained.

All vendors complete a training period and sign a code of conduct.

This is made up of the basic rules to which they must adhere while selling the magazine, including no begging, no drinking, no swearing and no harassment of the public.

They are also informed that they need to declare their earnings to the Department for Work and Pensions and sign a statement to that effect.