Man jailed after shoplifting thousands of pounds of goods from across North Yorkshire
He targeted Holland and Barrett store in York, Selby, Whitby and Scarborough
A man who stole thousands of pounds worth of products from shops in York and North Yorkshire has been jailed.
Ilie-Robert Varnescu, 50, from Motherwell, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, for offences including the theft of health products on five occasions from Holland and Barrett stores in York, Selby, Scarborough and Whitby, in November 2023.
Following an investigation by North Yorkshire Police and other forces, he pleaded guilty to those five offences, as well as ten similar offences in the Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Cumbria areas – totalling about £20,000 in stolen products.
The court head that Varnescu would enter stores and load his jacket full of goods while staff were distracted.
He was jailed for three years at Nottingham Crown Court.
PC Matt Philpott, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We understand the significant impact shoplifting has on retailers – both the financial loss, and the effect on staff who are left in fear of crime. That’s why we treat this sort of offending so seriously, and I would like to thank my colleagues across the forces involved in this case, particularly those in Nottinghamshire who brought the matter to conclusion at court.
“The three-year jail sentence is testament to the severity of his crimes, and should serve as a strong warning to anyone else who thinks they can get away with stealing from retailers in our area.”