Tuk-tuk thief given two weeks to return £24,000 of stolen fine wine
The pedicab driver who stole £24,000 worth of fine wine and Champagne from London restaurants has been given a final chance to return the stolen bottles before sentencing.
A tuk-tuk driver who stole more than £24,000 of fine wine and Champagne from restaurants across London has been told he has two weeks to hand back the loot before he is sentenced.
Iuliu Kubola, 61, of Islington, admitted to six burglaries targeting high-end restaurants in Mayfair, Belgravia and the City of London. He was caught on CCTV using a wheelie bin to transport his haul to his pedicab.
As covered by db in July, Kubola pleaded guilty to stealing 73 bottles of wine worth £24,000 from Piazza Italiana on Threadneedle Street.
Judge delays sentencing
At a hearing at the Old Bailey this week, Judge Mark Lucraft KC delayed sentencing to give Kubola time to help police recover the stolen alcohol. He has until 3 November to return the missing bottles.
When questioned by police about his motive, Kubola reportedly replied: “The wine is to drink, no?”
The court heard that some of the stolen goods were found when Kubola was arrested riding a pedicab in the City on 22 June. Officers seized bottles of Villa Bucci wine, Laurent-Perrier Champagne, Jack Daniel’s, Shaw and Smith Chardonnay (half-empty), and vodka, along with a collection of tools including crowbars, pliers and an angle grinder.
Partner Content
String of burglaries
Prosecutor Matthew Jolliffe told the court that Kubola’s spree began on 1 May, when he broke into Comptoir Café and Wine in Mayfair, stealing wine worth £6,000 and £200 in cash. The break-in caused £1,425 in damage, including £1,000 to change the locks and £425 to repair an external door.
He went on to target Oliveto on Elizabeth Street and Olivo on Eccleston Street in Belgravia on 13 May and 8 June, before striking Piazza Italiana three times. On 15 June, CCTV captured him stealing three additional bottles and £55 from the till, while a return visit on 19 June ended when an alarm sounded.
Kubola was finally apprehended on 22 June after police spotted him riding his tuk-tuk on Cornhill.
‘Reckless and stupid decision’
Defence barrister Daisy Kell-Jones told the court that Kubola had previously worked at both Oliveto and Piazza Italiana, but had not been paid. “He was effectively not paid and he made the reckless and stupid decision, rather than confronting the owners of these restaurants and asking for his salary, effectively decided to go in and take the salary for himself,” she said.
The prosecution has applied for a compensation order of more than £31,000 to cover the value of the stolen goods and damage caused.
Kubola will be sentenced after the 3 November deadline.
Related news
The Castel Group rocked by Succession-style family rift
