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Following sentencing, Pc Steven Hughes, said: ''The victims were either patients at the hospital and therefore extremely vulnerable, or staff who work tirelessly to care for these people and who do not expect to find themselves a victim of crime after their shift.

''McNeil has repeatedly, deliberately and maliciously targeted these individuals, wandering the corridors and striking at any given opportunity.

''While the items he has taken were effectively of very little worth, the impact on the victims cannot be understated.''

Adrian Yates, on behalf of the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ''We are saddened that someone could do this to patients when they are at their most vulnerable in hospital.

''We take the security of property and the personal safety of our patients and staff very seriously and have many measures in place to ensure we provide as safe an environment as possible.

"We worked closely with the police during their investigation.''

Edited by Sunita Patel-Carstairs