An Algerian illegal immigrant who stuffed mobile phones in his pants and socks after nicking them from girls’ handbags in Kingston’s largest nightclub, is to be deported after a six month prison sentence.

Mobile phones started going off in the smartly dressed man’s pockets when he was searched by suspicious security guards in Oceana who noticed him behaving strangely in the club at 3am on March 11 this year.

Detectives believe Fethi Baouche, 33, was working with another man as part of a north-African gang stealing phones from handbags swinging from clubbers’ shoulders and selling them in their home countries.

He had already been deported from the UK to Spain once, the court heard, but sneaked back into the country with a phoney French passport.

Police found 16 mobile phones in his pockets, six more in his socks and finally another one hidden away in his pants, spotted when he started fidgeting with his belt in the police van.

When he was arrested he greeted officers saying “no problem darlings”.

Officers also found a small bag of what appeared to be herbal cannabis, money and credit cards.

Commenting on the sentence, Steve Fleury, manager of Oceana, said: “It was obvious this wasn’t his first time. A number of people complained about mobile phones going missing on the night and was discussed among ourselves as an issue.

“One of the doormen observed someone that didn’t quite look natural. When we pulled him to one side phones started going off on his person.

“They were in places you wouldn’t think of. The guys did an exemplary job.”

Baouche pleaded guilty to 13 counts of theft at an earlier hearing at Kingston Magistrates’ Court where his solicitor said he had “ended up with the phones“ but had not stolen them. He also claimed one of the phones was his anyway, and asked for it back.

He was told on Wednesday that he would now spend six months in prison, minus the time he had already served in jail, and then be deported.