Two men who travelled to Warrington to prey on members of the public with distraction thefts have been jailed after they were tracked down by local officers.
Iulian Vladu and Lorin Moga both appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Friday 27 December where they were sentenced for their roles in relation to two distraction thefts in Warrington town centre.
Vladu, 48, of Gladstone Road, Northampton, and Moga, 33, of Fowleshill Road, Coventry, were both sentenced to 16 weeks in prison.
Both men had earlier pleaded guilty to theft, fraud by false representation and likely to breach police bail. Vladu, also pleaded guilty to a second count of theft in relation to an earlier incident.
The case initially began on Monday 16 October 2023, when Vladu travelled to Warrington with a separate accomplice, Geta Marin, 20, from Scunthorpe, and stole a wallet from a man who was shopping in the town.
The matter was reported to police who recovered CCTV footage of the pair and the vehicle that they were travelling in. A marker was placed on the vehicle and on Thursday 26 October 2023 officers from West Yorkshire Police arrested Vladu and Marin after stopping the car on the M62.
Officers from Cheshire Police attended Bradford Custody suite and both Vladu and Marin were charged in relation to the theft. The pair were released on bail, and later failed to attend court so warrants were issued for their arrests.
Then, on Wednesday 25 September 2024, Vladu returned to Warrington town centre, this time with a different accomplice – Lorin Moga.
While in the town, the pair worked together to distract a man and steal his wallet. The wallet contained £400 cash along with a number of bank cards, which the offenders used to withdraw £1,000 from the victim’s account.
Once again officers were able to use CCTV footage to identify the vehicle that the offenders were travelling in, and a marker was placed on the car. Vladu and Moga were subsequently arrested on Thursday 3 October after the vehicle was stopped in Oxford by officers from Thames Valley police.
The pair were both transported to Warrington where they were charged in relation to relation to the offences. Vladu and Moga appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on Saturday 5 October where they were released on conditional bail by the court.
Following their release from court Vladu and Moga drove to Holyhead where they attempted to flee the country by catching a ferry to Ireland. The pair were stopped by officers and later charged with being likely to breach police bail. Both men were subsequently remanded in custody.
Following their sentencing Police Constable Graham Davies, of Warrington Town Centre Beat team said: “Vladu and Moga purposefully travelled to Warrington in order to commit crime. They thought that by travelling from outside the area they’d be able to get an easy ride and that police wouldn’t be able to track them down.
“However, as this result demonstrates, the pair seriously underestimated the tenacity and dedication of the team here at Warrington to ensure those who commit crime in our town are brought to justice.
“I would particularly like to recognise the work of PC Sam Horton and PC Abbie Delaney, who helped to gather all of the CCTV footage which enabled us to identify Vladu and Moga as the offenders. I’d also like to thank our colleagues at Thames Valley Police and West Yorkshire Police for helping us to catch the pair.
“I hope that the outcome of this case acts as a warning to others who are thinking about coming to Warrington to commit crime. The message is clear – you will be caught, and you will be held accountable.”
A warrant for the arrest of Geta Marin remains active and anyone with any information in relation to her whereabouts is urged to call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting 23001015475.
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