A robber who carried out a terrifying raid on a branch of Carphone Warehouse in Nottinghamshire fled the country but was picked up on a European arrest warrant. Marin Dumitru was on bail for stealing thousands of pounds worth of mobile phones in Winchester when he robbed Carphone Warehouse, on Victoria Retail Park, Netherfield, at around 2.15pm on October 11, 2018.
He posed as a customer with another person and asked about phones and contracts and if the phones could be removed for them to "look at properly", Nottingham Crown Court heard on Friday, March 18. The sales advisor explained the phones were secured "due to a recent robbery". Dumitru replied, "well, I'm going to rob you now".
The worker was asked for the keys to the phone display but he told the raiders the keys were not kept on the shop floor. Dumitru told him to tell his colleague to open the door to the back office and, "if you don't, I'm going to stab you".
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Abi Joyce, prosecuting, said: "Whilst inside the office, the defendant asked where the safe was and told staff to open it. He continued to make references to, 'having a knife', and moving his hands towards his trousers and jacket pocket. He told one worker to, 'open the safe'. Initially he refused but the defendant told him if he didn't, 'he would stab him".
The safe was opened and Dumitru removed all the individually-wrapped phones into a binbag. He did not take the cheaper phones. One worker noticed Dumitru clearly knew what he wanted and what was more valuable.
"The employees were all fearful for their safety," added Miss Joyce. As the defendant left he told one, "I will see you tomorrow".
The same worker had seen the defendant and the second man, who was not before the court, in the store in the weeks leading up to the robbery. Dumitru's fingerprints were found on the secure display and the safe in the office. The haul amounted to 81 phones, of which 68 were new and 13 were store display, and the combined value was £41,077.
Dumitru fled the country using another name and the European arrest warrant was issued. Then he was held in Germany on an arrest warrant and sentenced for causing grievous bodily injury. After serviing part of that sentence, he was extradited here last year. He pleaded guilty to the Carphone Warehouse robbery and two theft offences.
One theft was with others in Winchester city centre on March 2, 2018, where they stole handsets from the O2 store. On the same day they burst into a second 02 store in Winchester and stole iPhones and Samsung S9s in the space of 30 seconds.
Dumitru, 32, of Bankdale Road, Birmingham, has been remanded in custody to be sentenced for all matters this Friday, March 25.
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