Romanian migrant arrives in UK on Friday & jailed for theft on Monday

A Romanian migrant who arrived in the UK on Friday was jailed three days later for shoplifting.

20-year-old Leonard-Valter Tudor went shoplifting in a branch of TK Maxx in Nottingham, just a day after he arrived in the country.

The Nottingham magistrates’ court heard that he took a foil-lined bag into the store thinking it would fool the security screens but was caught outside on June 8 while another man managed to flee.

Sanjay Jerath, prosecuting, said: “In interview, the defendant said he landed in the country the day before. He went to an address in Doncaster intending to find some work.

“He was approached by another Romanian man he doesn’t know. There was the suggestion of employment in Nottingham of taking items from a shop and accepts he was opening bags and taking items.

“He had a foil lined bag and takes full responsibility for his action.”

According to the Nottingham Post, Tudor admitted theft of accessories worth £508 and having the foil-lined bag.

Judge Leo Pyle sentenced Tudor to 16 weeks in a young offenders’ institution and ordered him to pay a government surcharge of £115.

Judge Pyle said: “The sentence should be a deterrent in your particular case.”

Defending Tudor, Neil O’Sullivan said Tudor had become a dad for the first time just a fortnight ago.

He said: “Simply the promise of money led him to commit these offences. As one can imagine, he had no income whatsoever as he only landed on Friday. He was detained straight away by security staff. All the items were recovered.

“This was an enterprise he entered into with some reluctance, it is fair to say. In some ways, it was borne out of necessity.”