Thief skipped court to enjoy his Christmas in Romania
HE HAD STOLEN £1K OF ALCOHOL
A THIEF who stole more than £1,000 of alcohol from a supermarket didn’t turn up to court, spent Christmas abroad and has now been found in a car park in Derbyshire.
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard how Leonard Iordache should have been at Reading Magistrates’ Court on December 23 but was seeing family in Romania.
A warrant was issued on that occasion and the 43-year-old was discovered in the car park of Tesco in Alfreton on December 29.
His lawyer, David Ellis, told the hearing: “He and his co-defendant were charged and bailed to appear at Reading Magistrates’ Court on December 23 but he failed to attend and spent Christmas in Romania with his family.
“His co-defendant did attend and was dealt with by way of a fine on December 23 but this defendant then came back to the UK and was found on a warrant in the car park in Derbyshire.
“He normally works in the construction industry and he will return to that on January 3. He earns £500 per week.
“The items (that were stolen) were recovered in a resaleable undamaged condition.”
Peter Bettany, prosecuting, said the theft took place from a Tesco store in Newbury, Berkshire, on October 14.
He said Iordache and his accomplice filled a trolley full of alcohol, wheeled it out and fled.
But they were found the same day with the booze in a different Tesco car park in Reading and arrested.
Mr Bettany said: “It is very high-value theft, £1,029.29 in total.
“The co-defendant did turn up to court and was fined £340 with costs and a surcharge on top of that.
“A warrant was issued for this defendant who was found on December 29 in another Tesco car park, this time in Alfreton.”
Iordache, of Ilford Lane, Ilford, Essex, pleaded guilty to one count of theft.
Magistrates in Derby fined him £340 and ordered him to pay £38 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.