A Romanian driver, arrested in London after a series of thefts of wine and champagne from exclusive restaurants: “It's for drinking, right?”
A 61-year-old Romanian man faces prison after admitting to breaking into several exclusive restaurants in London, where he stole bottles of wine and champagne worth £31,000 (about €36,580). However, the judge gave him one last chance: to help recover the loot or he will be sentenced.
Romanian tuk-tuk driver, accused of stealing wine and champagne PHOTO: Video capture / City London Police
Iuliu Kubola, a tuk-tuk driver originally from Romania, admitted to committing six burglaries in luxury restaurants in the areas of Mayfair, Belgravia and the City of London, according to the Daily Mail publication. Targeted venues include Comptoir Café and Wine, Oliveto, Olivo and Piazza Italiana.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC decided to adjourn sentencing so the man could keep his promise to co-operate with police and help recover the stolen wine bottles.
“I will draw my own conclusions if the goods are not recovered by then“, warned the magistrate, who set November 3 as the deadline.
“Wine is for drinking, right?”
Kubola was caught in June while driving a tuk-tuk on a street in the City of London. In the vehicle, police found a bottle of Villa Bucci, a Laurent-Perrier champagne, a bottle of Jack Daniels, half a bottle of Shaw and Smith Chardonnay and a bottle of vodka.
Asked by the investigators what he intended to do with the loot, the man answered calmly: “Wine is for drinking, right?”.
In addition to the stolen drinks, the law enforcement officers also found on him a wrench, pliers, screwdrivers, three pliers and an angle grinder.
How the burglaries were given
According to prosecutor Matthew Jolliffe, the Romanian first broke into the Comptoir Café and Wine restaurant in Mayfair on May 1, stealing bottles of wine worth £6,000 (around €7,080) and £200 (€236) from the cash register.
Video source: Instagram / City of London Police
On May 13 and June 8, he returned, this time to the Oliveto and Olivo restaurants in Belgravia, where he stole further bottles of wine and money. He later also attacked the Piazza Italiana restaurant in Threadneedle Street, City of London three times, causing more than £1,400 (€1,680) in damage to the locking system.
“The defendant used a pedal vehicle to leave the City. He returned in the same vehicle at 3:35 a.m., loaded a dumpster into the back, and left again at 3:57 a.m.”said the prosecutor.
That night, Kubola stole 73 bottles of wine worth a total of £23,801 (€28,085), as well as £100 (€118) in cash.
“I wanted to recover my “salary” myself”
In front of the investigators, the man did not deny any accusation, but questioned the value of the wines: “It wasn't that long. I had a restaurant in Italy for 20 years. He didn't do that much“.
Asked what he does for a living, he simply said: “If you have money, spend it.”
His lawyer, Daisy Kell-Jones, explained that the defendant had previously worked at the Oliveto and Piazza Italiana restaurants but had not been paid. “Instead of talking to the patrons, he made a reckless and stupid decision: to recover himself «the salary»“she declared.
The defense claims much of the stolen bottles are at a wine merchant and restaurant in the Aldgate area and Kubola is “very eager” for them to be returned.
Pretrial detention and antecedents
Iuliu Kubola was placed in preventive detention and benefited from the help of a Romanian interpreter in court. He has a history of shoplifting and driving without a license.
At the beginning of the year, another Romanian woman, aged 29, was convicted in Great Britain for a series of thefts committed by deception. The woman pretended to be pregnant and asked for a glass of water or access to the toilet, taking advantage of the hosts' goodwill to steal money, jewelry and items of great sentimental value, including engagement rings.
