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Richmond purse-snatching thief vows to change

Ahmed Baladie, 51, was behind a series of purse snatchings in shopping malls and restaurants
pickpocket

A prolific purse snatcher with a lengthy history of 19 convictions, 12 for thefts, was sentenced Wednesday to a total of 201 days in jail, after credit for time served.

The sentence will be followed by 18 months of probation.

Ahmed Baladie, 51, was in provincial court in Richmond for sentencing on five charges of theft under $5,000 related to a series of purse snatchings in Richmond shopping malls and restaurants between Jan. 6 and April 24.

Baladie was an Iranian refugee who arrived in Vancouver 26 years ago after stowing away on a boat for six months.

But six years later, the horrors he had endured in Iran overwhelmed him and he turned to abusing alcohol and prescription drugs.

That precipitated almost 20 years of involvement, on and off, with the criminal justice system, including the high-profile theft of a wedding photographer's equipment in Stanley Park in September 2013.

Baladie said he is ashamed and embarrassed about what he did and plans to use his time in jail to make himself a better person.

After he was sentenced, he thank Judge James Bahen for giving him a chance.

"I'm tired. I just want to change," he said.

"You will never see me here or anywhere else.

Thank you. God bless your country."