A NEWCASTLE Emlyn couple went on a spending spree after using a card they found that had been left in a cash machine.

Agnieszka Katarzyna Krawczyk, 29, and 37-year-old Marcin Bernard Sorankowski, both of Llys y Wawr, Bryngwyn, took the card after seeing that it had been left at a cash point in Cardigan on 30 August, with magistrates hearing that the two had given in to temptation.

They pleaded guilty to theft by finding of the card and theft from four stores after using the card to make purchases using contactless payment.

Sorankowski also pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, three charges of driving without insurance and failing to surrender to bail after failing to attend a court hearing.

Prosecutor Rhian Jones said Rosemary Evans had called the police after her bank contacted her to say they thought fraudulent transactions had been made using her card.

Police made checks at stores where the card had been used and got a description of an eastern European couple who had used a card to make a range of purchases totalling £138 at four stores.

Krawczyk and Sorankowski were caught on CCTV at cash machines at Tesco in Cardigan, and were seen at the machine as Ms Evans was using another next to it.

When Ms Evans left, Krawczyk and Sorankowski are seen to look at the machine Ms Evans had been using before Krawczyk went over and took the card that Ms Evans had left.

The two were arrested and some of the items that had been bought using the card were discovered in their house.

During an interview, Krawczyk said she had been “tempted” to use the card after initially intending to hand it in. Sorankowski said his partner had taken the card and talked him into using it.

Magistrates heard that the offence meant Krawczyk had breached a conditional discharge for assault.

Ms Jones said Sorankowski had also been stopped by police while driving and checks showed he had been banned just weeks earlier for drink-driving.

He also had no insurance and Ms Jones said there were two other occasions where Sorankowski had been driving without insurance.

Those offences meant Sorankowski had breached a community order he was currently subject to.

Defence solicitor Alison Mathias said the couple had both admitted the theft and had apologised for it during their police interview.

She added: “The opportunity arose and temptation took the better of the two.”

Ms Mathias said Sorankowski had driven as he needed to go to the Jobcentre and attend a meeting with the council.

There was no public transport and it would have been an 11-mile walk.

Magistrates revoked current orders for both Krawczyk and Sorankowski and imposed new ones.

They were both made subject to community orders for 18 months, with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 245 hours of unpaid work, and will both pay compensation of £68.99 to the four stores where purchases were made and costs totalling £170.

Sorankowski was also given a 12-month driving ban and will pay another fine of £240 and costs of £230 for the motoring offences.