After reading this, one may assume that when the London grooming-gang scandal eventually breaks,
those of Mayor Khan's favoured community will be asked to purchase the school uniforms for those
they've raped.
those of Mayor Khan's favoured community will be asked to purchase the school uniforms for those
they've raped.
Quote:Man who stole £31k of wine 'to drink' given 2 weeks to return stash by judgeMyLondon Article:
'A tuk-tuk driver who stole £31,000 of fine wine and champagne from three high-end restaurants
has been given the chance to return the goods before he is sentenced. Iuliu Kubola, 61, is facing
a possible jail term after he admitted six burglaries at the eateries in Mayfair, Belgravia and the
City of London.
Iuliu Kubola.
On Tuesday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC put off his Old Bailey sentence so the defendant could
“make good” on his promise to help police recover the missing wine. The court heard that
some of the stash was found on Kubola when he was arrested riding a pedicab in the City
of London in June. Asked what he intended to do with all the wine he had stolen, he told police:
“The wine is to drink, no?”
Outlining the facts of the case, prosecutor Matthew Jolliffe said the defendant entered Comptoir
Cafe and Wine in Mayfair in the early hours of May 1 and made off with several bottles of wine
valued at £6,000 and £200 cash from the till. On May 13, and June 8, he attended Oliveto and
Olivo on Elizabeth Street in Belgravia and took multiple bottles of wine and cash.
Kubola, from Islington, north London, also struck three times at Piazza Italiana on Threadneedle
Street in the City of London, the court was told. In the first incident, Kubola caused damage to
an external door and locks, costing £1,000 to change locks and £425 in repairs.
Mr Jolliffe said: “The defendant used a pedal cab to cycle out of the City of London. He returned
on the same pedal cab at 3.35am, loaded a wheelie bin into the back and left at 3.57am cycling
out of the City of London.” Around £100 was taken from the cash till and 73 bottles, at a total
replacement cost of £23,801, the court heard.
Early on June 15, he was caught on CCTV at the restaurant a second time and made off with
three more bottles of wine valued at £680 and £55 from the till. Four days later, he entered the
property again but left without taking anything after the alarm sounded. He was arrested on
June 22 while riding the tuk-tuk on Cornhill in the City of London.
He was found with a bottle of Villa Bucci wine, a bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne, a bottle
of Jack Daniels, a half-empty bottle of Shaw and Smith chardonnay, and a bottle of vodka.
Other items seized included a spanner, pliers, screwdrivers, three crowbars and an angle grinder.
In his police interview, the defendant did not dispute any of the allegations.
He questioned the value of the wine taken, saying: “It was not that much. I have had a restaurant
in Italy for 20 years. It did not add up to that much.” Asked what he did for money, he told police:
“If you have cash, you can spend it.”
In mitigation, Daisy Kell-Jones said that the defendant had previously worked at Oliveto and Piazza
Italiana restaurants. She told the court: “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.”
Ms Kell-Jones said the defendant had disclosed to her that the majority of wine was being stored
at a wine merchant and restaurant near Aldgate and he was “very keen” that it be returned. She
said: “Mr Kubola recognises he should not have done what he did and recognises the loss caused
to those two restaurants and wants to pay them back somehow.”
Judge Lucraft put off the sentencing until November 3 to give the defendant the chance to “make
good” on his promise to return the wine. He said: “I am going to adjourn the sentence to permit
Mr Kubola to assist police to recover what was taken. If that has not happened by then, I will
draw my own conclusions from that.” The judge said he would make no promises about the
defence plea for Kubola to be given a suspended sentence and avoid jail.
Kubola, who was assisted by a Romanian interpreter, has previous convictions for shoplifting
and driving while disqualified and without a licence. He was remanded into custody...'
It's only an island if you look at it from the water.