A woman in the UK was handed a six-month jail sentence on Saturday (local time) for stealing a church-goer's handbag at the Sandy Row Methodist Church here.

The Belfast Magistrate's court gave the sentence to Victoria McKay, the main accused, who had carried out the theft in October last year, reports Premier.

"It was mean, it was planned, it was a breach of trust. You are a convicted thief, a persistent thief and a remorseless thief," District Judge Paul Copeland told McKay.

"You took advantage of a trusting and innocent member of the public who was at a church service, a respectable individual who had the right and expectation to trust those around her," Premier further quoted Copeland as saying.

The District Judge has agreed to consider giving McKay bail, provided there is an appeal against the sentence.

The owner of the handbag had left her purse unattended on her seat during Sunday service in October last year while going for lunch.

An alarm was raised and McKay along with one male associate was arrested after the bag was found missing upon the church-goer's return to her seat. A witness had seen them leaving the church. The purse was later returned to the police upon the duo's arrest.

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