Men paid £250 each for part in £41k raid on Shrewsbury Currys store are jailed
Two Romanian men who were each paid £250 to raid an electrical store have been jailed.
Claudiu Stanciu and Florin Marcu were convicted at Telford Magistrates Court for their part in the burglary at Currys in Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, on September 10.
Stanciu, 26, and Marcu, 28, who were both living in Birmingham at the time of the offence, were sentenced to two years in prison at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.
Judge Jim Tindal said although he accepted the pair were not the “brains behind the operation”, they played a part in a serious and sophisticated robbery carried out by a gang of seven men. Anna Sophia Rohan, prosecuting, said the offenders had made a large hole in a brick wall which went straight through into a stock room.
She added: “Police stopped a Renault Kangoo with a light out and when they put their lights on it failed to stop.”
The van was stopped after about five minutes on the M54. A total of £41,562 worth of goods from Currys had been taken and loaded into garden bags.
Andrew Holland, defending Stanciu, said his client was being paid £250 for his part in the raid. “He had not realised the enormity of the situation he was getting into,” he added. “He was asked if he’d like to do some work and he took them up on it.”
Stephen Scully, for Marcu, told the court his client also had a subordinate role in the burglary and was also told he’d be paid £250 for what he believed to be work.
“When it became apparent what was happening, he unfortunately didn’t take a step back,” he said.
“He has six children in Birmingham and came to the UK in 2006. His main concern now is for his partner and young children.”
However, Judge Tindal said both men had committed similar offences in the past in Europe and would face an immediate custodial sentence. He added: “The vast majority of people who come here, come to work. There are many people in the country who are British who are resentful of that. There are many people in this country who are racist.
“Every time someone like yourselves come from Romania and commits an offence like you have committed, it fuels the racism.
“Romania is a country with a proud history and it’s a country where thousands of people come over here to work legitimately. You have let them down, you have let your country down and you have let your families down, and you need to think about that in prison.”
