Picture: From top left Cornel Rostas, Romulus Rostas, Romulus Govinder Rostas, Robert Rostas and Marin Rostas

A family of pickpockets who targeted sleeping commuters on trains between London and Kent have been jailed for a total of more than ten years.

They were arrested after an investigation into more than 180 separate thefts between January 2009 and August 2011. In total £60,000 worth of goods were stolen.

Brothers Marin Rostas, 25 and Romulus Rostas, 18, both of Norfolk Road, Gravesend, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal at their trial in February while Robert Rostas, 23, also of Norfolk Road, Gravesend admitted to conspiracy to steal at an earlier hearing.

Their other brother, Romulus Govinder Rostas, 17 and their cousin-in-law Cornell Rostas, 22, both of Springhead Road, Gravesend also pleaded guilty at their trial in February.

All five were sentenced at London's Blackfriars Crown Court earlier today.

Marin Rostas was jailed for three years while Robert Rostas was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Romulus Rostas was sentenced to 18 months. All three have already spent 240 days in remand.

Cornell Rostas was jailed for three years and three months minus 184 days already spent on remand.

Romulus Govinder Rostas was given a 12 month detention and training order.

Detective Constable Tim Weekes, one of the investigating officers, said: "Typically the group operated on late-night trains between Charing Cross and Gravesend.

"They would identify and target vulnerable passengers, who were sleeping or otherwise distracted, before stealing valuables from their pockets or bags, predominantly mobile phones.

"The group would then leave the train, with the victim usually only discovering the items missing some time later."

Police reviewed more than 50 days worth of CCTV evidence as part of the investigation and three of the brothers Robert, Romulus and Marin Rostas were also caught by a plain-clothes officer targeting a sleeping woman in January 2011.

Searches at two Gravesend addresses also uncovered a wealth of evidence including a number of mobile phones, sim cards and other items.

DC Weekes, added: "The items we found, along with CCTV and mobile phone analysis, indicated that these men were agents involved in a highly-organised conspiracy to steal, aimed at generating as much money as possible to pass back to other family members in Romania to buy land and property."