Wine thief avoids jail after returning some bottles

A pedicab driver who stole £31,000 price of wine from high-end eating places has prevented jail after he returned among the lacking bottles.

Iuliu Kubola, 61, admitted six burglaries on the three premises in Mayfair, Belgravia and the Metropolis of London, and on Monday was sentenced to twenty months in custody suspended for 2 years.

At a earlier listening to, defence barrister Daisy Kell-Jones mentioned her 61-year-old consumer knew the place the stolen wine was, and mentioned “he’s very eager for it to be returned”.

Sentencing, Choose Mark Lucraft KC advised the court docket: “To chop a prolonged story quick, some wine has been recovered and there are a complete of 32 unopened bottles of wine, they’re valued at roughly £6,687.”

The choose mentioned the defendant’s efforts to help police had demonstrated his regret and the restoration course of would proceed.

Nevertheless, he famous “vital loss and injury” had been precipitated at Piazza Italiana the place 73 bottles had been snatched throughout one raid.

‘The wine is to drink, no?’

Beforehand, the court docket heard that among the wine was discovered on Kubola when he was arrested driving a pedicab within the Metropolis of London in June.

Requested what he supposed to do with the whole lot he had stolen, he advised police: “The wine is to drink, no?”

At a earlier listening to, Kubola pleaded responsible to housebreaking over the 6 June incident, and in addition admitted three additional burglaries.

The court docket heard that on 10 Might, he took a number of bottles of wine price about £6,000, in addition to £200 from the until, from Comptoir Cafe and Wine in Mayfair.

He additionally focused the Oliveto restaurant in Belgravia, on 13 Might and eight June, the place he took money from the until and a number of other bottles of wine.

Kubola, from Islington, additional focused Piazza Italiana on 15 June, stealing £680 price of wine and £55 in money, and on 19 June, when he left with out taking something after an alarm sounded.

Kubola was seen on CCTV taking the bottles of wine, placing them right into a wheelie bin and loading the bin into the again of his pedicab.

Kubola was arrested on 22 June on Cornhill, simply metres from Piazza Italiana, whereas driving the tuk-tuk.

He was discovered with a bottle of Villa Bucci wine, a bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne, a bottle of Jack Daniels, a half-empty bottle of Shaw and Smith chardonnay, and a bottle of vodka.

He additionally had an angle grinder, spanner, screwdriver and crowbars in his pedicab when he was arrested.

In his police interview, the defendant didn’t dispute any of the allegations.

He questioned the worth of the wine taken, saying: “It was not that a lot. I’ve had a restaurant in Italy for 20 years. It didn’t add as much as that a lot.”

In mitigation, Ms Kell-Jones mentioned the defendant had a drink drawback.

She advised the court docket that Kubola had beforehand labored for 2 of the eating places he stole from, and that he claimed he had not been paid.

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