Tuk-tuk thief admits £24,000 wine heist in London
A pedicab driver has pleaded guilty to stealing fine wine worth £24,000 from a London restaurant. The unusual theft involved transporting the wine in a wheelie bin attached to his tuk-tuk.
Iuliu Kubola, 61, of Richie Street, Islington, admitted three counts of burglary after breaking into a restaurant on Threadneedle Street on Friday, 6 May 2025. He stole 73 bottles of wine before loading them into a wheelie bin and cycling away on his pedicab.
Kubola was arrested on 22 June at around 12:30am after police constable Jordan Felstead spotted him outside a bar on Cornhill. An earlier briefing had flagged the 61-year-old as a suspect in a series of burglaries.
Multiple break-ins
CCTV footage confirmed Kubola’s unusual method of transporting his haul, with further offences recorded on 15 and 19 June. On 15 June, he stole three additional bottles of wine worth around £680. A return visit on 19 June ended without theft but cemented his pattern of offending.
Detective constable Marcus Fairclough, of the City’s Criminal Investigation Department, applauded the “good work by our officers, who spotted him and quickly made enquiries and the arrest”, ensuring Kubola would now “face the consequences of his criminality”.
He pointed out that “burglary has a significant impact on businesses and residential communities” and stressed that reports of break-ins in the square mile are never dismissed. “We will attend all reports of break-ins in the city, giving us the best chance of making an arrest and collecting evidence from a scene,” he said, adding that such crimes are always taken seriously with “all evidential leads, including forensics” pursued to bring offenders to justice.
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In addition to the £24,000 worth of stolen wine, Kubola left £1,425 of damage in his wake, including £1,000 for changing locks and £425 to repair an external door.
Forensics
Physical forensics manager Andrew Walker stressed the importance of speed, describing how “our fast response is vital to maximise forensic opportunities and lessen the impact on the victims”. He said being burgled is “horrendous; not being able to tidy up or open your business and resume trading exacerbates this massively”.
“The victim is at the heart of everything we do,” he added. “Delivering them justice, whilst minimising the impact that crime has on them, is the bedrock on which City of London Police Forensic Services operates.”
Kubola will be sentenced in September.
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