Shoplifter who stole perfume from store wants Romania return

A shoplifter caught trying to steal almost £1,500-worth of perfume from a Dunfermline store says he now wants to go back to Romania.

Stefan Petrescu, 24, who only arrived in Scotland last month, was part of a three-man crime gang which travelled from Dundee and targeted the Debenhams store in Dunfermline.

Bottles of perfume were lifted from shelves and placed into a foil-lined bag inside a back-pack Petrescu was wearing.

However, when the thieves were spotted by security staff they ran out of the store and Petrescu was caught as he ran down the street.

It was his second court appearance in his first month in Scotland having been put on bail in Stirling for another shoplifting charge.

Appearing from custody at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Petrescu, 24, of Dundonald Street, Dundee, admitted that on November 2 at Debenhams, Kingsgate Centre, he stole a quantity of fragrance.

Petrescu, who speaks no English, appeared in the dock with a translator.

Defence solicitor Elaine Buist said her client was living in Dundee with a friend.

“He hoped to find work but now he says he wants to return to Romania and knows that there is a bus from Scotland which goes there,” she added.

Court proceedings had been delayed earlier in the week when the solicitor raised concerns about possible humantrafficking and coercion. But when police tried to investigate these claims, Petrescu refused to speak to them.

Sheriff Charles MacNair remanded Petrescu in custody until sentencing on November 28.