A BULGARIAN woman could face deportation after pleading guilty to stealing a purse.

Stefka Petrova, 38, was caught taking a purse by a shopper in Bon Marche in The Mall Chequers on Saturday, August 29. The owner was alerted and immediately grabbed her arm to stop her from escaping.

Petrova managed to break free and used the fire escape to evade the police, changing her outer clothing to prevent detection.

Police stopped her once she had left the shopping centre, after CCTV staff monitored her.

Petrova, from Tottenham, appeared in court on August 31 and pleaded guilty to theft. She has been remanded before sentencing at a date yet to be set. The UK Border Agency has been notified of the offences and she has been advised she could be deported.