06 Dec A woman who stole a mobile phone off a table of a central London restaurant has been sent to jail.
A woman who stole a mobile phone off a table of a central London restaurant has been sent to jail.
23-year-old Florentina Churaru had only been living in the UK for one month when she was arrested in late September. Churaru, mother of three, moved to London from Romania to live with her sister, who is able to provide for her.
On the afternoon of September 25th, Chucharu and a female accomplice were begging in central London and entered a restaurant to ask the patrons for money. In the restaurant, Chucharu grabbed the iPhone X of student Xi Xi Chou off of his table while he was eating.
Chou chased Chucharu and her accomplice out of the restaurant until they were finally stopped by police. Chucharu denied Chou’s accusations to authorities, but as she began to walk away from police the iPhone X slipped out of her waistband and onto the ground
Chucharu refused to answer any questions at the police station, and was brought into custody after refusing to provide an address.
Chucharu initially plead not guilty, but upon learning that she would be held in custody until her court date in November, she plead guilty to one count of theft.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Chucharu’s cries via video chat from prison, where she confirmed her guilt and expressed regret. Due to a language barrier, Chucharu and the *** spoke through a translator, who was present in the court room.
Chucharu cried out to the court, “please send me back to Romania.” The magistrate emphasized “the ongoing issue of mobile theft in the area,” and sentenced Chucharu to eight weeks in prison.
