Judge recommends deportation for Romanian who stole £700 of alcohol from Long Eaton store

A judge has told a Romanian man who stole more than £700 of alcohol from a supermarket in Long Eaton that "immigrants are welcome" but they were expected to "abide by the standards of this country".

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe also told Costel Betrinu, who admitted two offences of theft, that there had been a recommendation for his deportation which he "wholeheartedly agreed with".

Betrinu, 35, of no fixed address, was jailed for 24 weeks.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard that staff in Tesco in Long Eaton saw Betrinu leaving the store with a suitcase of alcohol on August 10.

PCSOs in the store chased after Betrinu who dumped the suitcase with the alcohol as he ran off.

He fled on to Fletcher Street, jumped over a fence and hid behind a wall. He was then arrested.

Sanjay Jerath, prosecuting, said that, while Betrinu was on bail, he travelled to Preston, where he stole an unknown value of alcohol from Asda.

Pardeep Kalyan, in mitigation, said: "He states that the offences have been borne out of desperation. He has been in the UK for five months. He came here on the promise of work from a friend of his.

"He is a trained and an established builder. He came to London, worked for about one to two weeks but, unfortunately, the friend he was working for had to go back to Romania because of a family emergency."

Mr Kalyan said Betrinu had built up debts and gone to stay with his brother in Northampton, where he unsuccessfully tried to find work.

"He then came to Derby and fully accepts what he did was wrong. He couldn't find work in Derby. He was in a desperate state because of money he owed other people. The intention was to pay off some of the debts he had accrued.

"The second offence bears a similar story."

Sentencing Betrinu, District Judge Taaffe said: "You have been in this country for five months – and I have to say you and fellow immigrants are welcome.

"However, you are expected to abide by the standards of this country and not commit criminal offences.

"It's a fact that there is an epidemic of theft from our stores on a planned and sustained basis.

"On two occasions, you have been involved in a planned expedition to steal goods of a relatively high value. They are not the hallmark of offences of desperation."

Betrinu must pay a £180 criminal courts charge and an £80 victim surcharge. Is that all?

Why is he not being deported or at least we should cut his arms off? Vote BNP to rectify this.