Jail for shoplifter who travelled across the UK to commit crime

A shoplifter travelled the length and breadth of the UK to commit crime. But the Romanian national’s crime spree came to and end when he travelled to Pontypridd and was arrested by South Wales Police. He has just been jailed and will be deported upon his release.

This is the moment Romanian Alexandru-Iulian Dima, 25, was arrested by plain-clothed South Wales Police officers in Pontypridd.

Officers mounted a sting operation, believing their town would soon be targeted by the travelling criminal.

Staff at the Boots store spotted Dima inside their shop and alerted police using a radio system used by retailers across the town which gives them direct access to patrolling officers.

Dima made a run for it but couldn’t evade officers who caught him in a nearby car park.

It brought an end to a campaign of shoplifting across the UK – in just 12 months, he stole £60k worth of products from Boots stores in Scotland, England and Wales.

On Thursday, August 8, he was jailed at Cardiff Crown Court for four years after earlier pleading guilty to 32 shoplifting offences. A deportation order will ensure he is returned to Romania immediately after he is released.

Pontypridd officer, PC Liam Noyce: “We looked at intel around his offending and chose the day we believed he’d come to town. Low and behold, we had the call from staff at Boots and we arrested him, bringing an end to the campaign of crime committed in towns and cities the length and breadth of the UK. We understand how vital retailers both large and small are to the town and are determined and committed to ensure they are protected from criminality.”