A fraudster has been jailed for using a skimming device on a Tube ticket machine to steal bank card details.

Ciprian Dascalu, 22, of Evelyn Road in Walthamstow, was given a two year sentence at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday.

Following a British Transport Police investigation, Dascalu admitted two counts of possessing an article for use in fraud.

Investigating officer PC Emmet Barry said: “Ciprian Dascalu was an experienced fraudster who knew exactly what he was doing. He removed the two-part device from the ticket machine within 30 seconds with a special tool.

“This was the quickest and most subtle removal of a skimming device that I have ever seen."

Dascalu targeted passengers at Bond Street station on October 26 at 3.10pm.

The court heard that he placed the device, made up of a card reader and a pinhole camera, on a ticket machine which was later spotted by plain clothes transport officers.

The device had been in place for over two hours by the time it was discovered.

Officers left it in place and monitored the machine, catching Dascalu when he returned to collect the machine at 7.50pm.

As he was arrested the machine fell from his jacket.