Couple jailed in Norfolk after stealing more than £48,000 of jewellery
The thefts happened in Warwickshire, Sussex, Wiltshire, Suffolk and Norfolk
A man and woman who stole more than £48,000 worth of jewellery from shops in Norfolk, Suffolk and a number of other counties have been sentenced to more than two years in prison.
Vadar-ghimes Agafitei and Zinca Agafitei, both aged 46 and of Penge Road, London will each spend two years and three months behind after pleading guilty to three counts of theft and two counts of burglary at an earlier hearing.
Vadar-ghimes Agafitei also pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation.
They were sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on 16 December.
The thefts happened between 14 May and 29 July 2024 when gold jewellery, collectively valued at over £48,000, was stolen from various locations in Warwickshire, Sussex, Wiltshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.
On Monday 29 July 2024, Norfolk Police received a call from a victim who stated that a man and a woman had stolen £15,000 worth of gold chains from his shop in Thetford, using distraction techniques.
CCTV enquiries showed that when the woman had been talking to a member of staff in the shop, the man had reached over and stole a number of gold chains from the window display.
An investigation was then started by Norfolk Police’s Breckland District Crime Unit.
During this, officers discovered four other incidents in the country that had happened earlier in the year.
On 14 May 2024, officers in Warwickshire were called to reports of a theft of a Rolex watch from a jewellery shop.
A man and a woman had entered the store and whilst the member of staff was distracted by retrieving a watch that the couple had requested to view, the man has reached over and stolen a Rolex watch worth £11,500 from a display cabinet.
On 17 June 2024, a man and a woman entered a jewellery shop in Sussex and requested to view a watch which was on display in the window. Whilst the staff member was talking to the woman, the man leant behind her and stole a gold bracelet from the cabinet worth over £2,000.
The third incident was on 20 July 2024 in Wiltshire when a man and a woman entered a jewellery shop asking to view bracelets.
Whilst the member of staff was assisting the woman with trying bracelets on, the man purposefully knocked over a display stand. When tidying up the display, the man stole more than 10 bracelets, worth more than £20,000.
Bank card distraction
On 25 July 2024, a woman in her 80s had travelled to Newmarket, Suffolk to do some banking. A woman is seen on CCTV to be watching her. The woman makes a call and is then joined by a man.
The man enters the bank and watches the victim enter her PIN at a cash machine. The man and woman both follow the victim into a shop and the woman shows the victim an item of clothing.
A short while later, the man uses the victim’s card at a cash machine and makes two withdrawals, totalling £700.
Officers obtained CCTV footage from all five offences, which showed the same man and woman to be responsible.
Norfolk officers identified the suspects and their vehicles using covert tactics, tracking them to the Cheshire area.
Working alongside Cheshire’s Road Crime Unit, officers intercepted the suspect’s vehicle on the M6 on 17 October 2024 where they were arrested and transported to King’s Lynn Police Investigation Centre for questioning.
They were later charged and remanded into custody.
"A complex case"
Sgt Gary Morris from the Breckland District Crime Unit said: “This was a complex case where the offenders have travelled far and wide, often changing vehicles and locations to try and avoid detection.
"My thanks go out to the investigating officer, PC Luke Brown, along with the other forces involved. As a result of their efforts, the pair have been caught and will now serve custodial sentences.
"I am hopeful this case demonstrates that Norfolk is not an easy target, and anyone travelling to this county to commit crime will be dealt with robustly.”