Tuk-tuk driver who stole £31,000 of fine wine given two weeks to return stash

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.

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.