A magician did a disappearing act with a pensioner's handbag containing £2,000 in cash.

Samir Hashar was pretending to play on fruit machines near the 87-year-old partially sighed woman when he dropped his coat near the bag, which he picked up and walked off.

Preston Crown Court heard that Hashar had a gambling addiction and had been banned from all casinos in the UK and abroad.

Iraq born Hashar, 26, of Argosy Road, Blackpool, had been committed for sentence for theft of the handbag on April 6 and four offences of handling stolen goods.

He also asked for nine other offences to be taken into consideration.

Miss Jo Shepherd, prosecuting, told the court the woman had left her bag on the floor at the Savoy Hotel while a quiz was taking place.

It contained personal possessions and two envelopes each containing £1,000. Hashar had dropped his coat near the OAP.

"He crouched down and walked away with his jacket under his arm. The woman asked where her bag was. He had picked it up in his coat," said Miss Shepherd.

The handling offences dated between June 26 last year and April this year and involved bags taken from women, some elderly.

One was 64 and had been at a cafe onTopping Street, another was at a travel agents and the third involved a 75-year-old woman at a hotel on the Prom .

The last victim was a mum out with her children at a St Annes cafe.

The court heard Hashar had a previous conviction for remaining in the UK by deception and assaulting a former partner.

Christopher Hudson, defending, said Hashar had overcome his gambling addiction which was the root cause of his offending.

He had got himself banned from all casinos in the UK and in Europe.

Hashar came from Northern Iraq and his father was a police chief.

He has previously worked as a magician in the pleasure beach show Mystique.

Regarding the handling offences he admitted assisting in the retention of the property and said he was looking after it for someone else.

Hashar was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years. He will also have to do 100 hours unpaid work for the community.