Costel Copalea and his accomplice Marius Stanescu were both jailed. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Two men who went on a day-long crime spree targeting victims across a 75 mile area have been jailed at Lincoln Crown Court.
Costel Copalea and his accomplice Marius Stanescu carried out distraction thefts targeting victims in Cambridge, Corby, Collyweston, Stamford, Toft, and Bourne before they finished up at Sleaford.
Andrew Howarth, prosecuting, told the court: “This was a persistent campaign by both defendants to carry out distraction thefts principally in order to steal mobile phones from both adults and children.
“In fact only three mobile phones were stolen but the pair of them were persistent in their targeting.”
Mr Howarth said the first offence carried out by the pair was in Cambridge. They visited a hall of residence at Clare College in the city where a member of the College staff was distracted and his phone was stolen.
The defendants then drove on to Corby where they stole another phone after distracting their victims who were eating a pub lunch.
Copalea and Stanescu continued driving north and next turned up at the Collyweston Slater pub in the village of Collyweston near Stamford.
Mr Howarth said: “They were seen on CCTV attempting to distract the bar staff. Copalea was looking behind the bar as staff moved away.”
Nothing was stolen and a further attempt at a distraction theft was made at the village shop.
The two men then went into Stamford where they targeted the Welland School of Dancing while lessons were being held in the building.
They were let in after persistently buzzing the entry bell and once inside Stanescu went into the girls’ changing rooms where he was caught going through bags.
He was seen with an I-phone but it was grabbed from him by a parent and the two left the building. Other incidents took place at the George Hotel and at a beauty salon in the town.
Mr Howarth said there was a further incident at the Toft Hotel in Toft, where they were asked to leave after being challenged by staff, who found them in the chef’s office in a private area of the premises.
Copalea and Stanescu then drove on to Bourne where they approached two 12-year-old boys outside the Londis shop in Churchill Avenue. They drove off when a customer of the shop intervened and then reported the matter to police.
Just before 8pm the men arrived at the McDonald’s in Sleaford where they sat down amongst a group of 15-year-old girls. Stanescu made sexually suggestive comments and asked for a kiss off one of the girls who rejected his advances.
They then tried to steal mobile phones by distracting the teenagers before an adult customer came over to the group and the men left.
After a further incident at a dental practice in Sleaford the pair drove off, but police tracked down their vehicle using information from ANPR cameras and they were arrested the following day in Northamptonshire.
The court was told that Copalea had past convictions across Europe for dishonesty offences including in Italy, Belgium, Germany and France. Stanescu had previous convictions in Spain and Italy.
Costel Copalea, 20, and Marius Stanescu,21, both of Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex, each admitted a charge of conspiracy to steal as a result of the incidents on July 15. Copalea also asked for two offences of distraction theft committed on July 9 to be taken into consideration.
They were each jailed for 32 months and are likely to face deportation. The Rover 75 car they used during the offences was confiscated.
Judge Simon Hirst told them: “There was significant planning and you acted as a team. One of you attempted to distract often vulnerable people while the other stole or attempted to steal. You chose people you thought to be vulnerable and there was an element of intimidation.”
Dhaneshwar Sharma, in mitigation, said both defendants were relatively young and had come to the UK looking for work.
“In reality there was not a great deal stolen but it was a persistent effort on their part.”
He said they admitted the offences and added: “Both have asked me to apologise to the victims.”
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The mass COVID-19 vaccination centre at Lincolnshire Showground hit a huge milestone recently, having reached an incredible 50,000 vaccinations so far.
It is one of two mass vaccination centres in Lincolnshire, along with the Princess Royal Sports Arena in Boston, helping the county to have the third highest vaccine rate in England.
The vaccine rollout has gone from strength to strength across the county, and as a result the Lincolnshire Showground staff recently celebrated their 50,000th vaccination.
There were plenty waiting for their jabs at Lincolnshire Showground. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Almost 70% of Lincolnshire’s adult population have now received at least their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and health bosses predict we will hit the 70% mark by the middle of May.
The latest NHS data shows that a total of 596,153 jabs have taken place in the county, with the numbers rising every week.
Rebecca Neno is the deputy chief nurse for NHS Lincolnshire CCG, and lead of the vaccination rollout in the county. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Rebecca Neno is the person in charge of the vaccination rollout in Lincolnshire, as well as being deputy chief nurse at NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, and she sang the praises of the “amazing” staff who have made this rollout possible.
“Lincolnshire’s response to the pandemic has made people feel safe, and that’s down to everyone”, she said.
“The programme has come together across Lincolnshire to protect our people, it is phenomenal.”
Rebecca also told The Lincolnite that her team have been well prepared to deal with the challenges that come with the vaccination rollout.
“We have a dedicated equality and inclusion team that are aligned with the programme to dispel myths and misinformation, as well as engage with different parts of our population.
“The vaccine will not kill you, but COVID might — the key word here is safety.”
Terry Vine is the clinical and operational lead at NHS Lincolnshire CCG. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Terry Vine, clinical and operational lead at NHS Lincolnshire CCG, said it was a “hugely emotional moment” as the 50,000th patient was vaccinated at Lincolnshire Showground on Friday, April 30.
“We made the person aware that they were the 50,000th one by getting them flowers and chocolates. They were crying, I was crying, all my staff were crying, it was so emotional.
“The showground has been excellent at managing the pandemic, both with the testing and vaccination centres, and we are working very closely with them to ensure that events can still go ahead while vaccinations take place.”
Staff were on hand to answer any questions people had. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
There is capacity to do 1,000 vaccinations a day at Lincolnshire Showground, but Terry told The Lincolnite the amount often depends on when the latest cohorts are released.
“As we introduce new cohorts for different age groups, the demand for appointments increases, and then naturally slows down the further through cohorts we are.”
At the moment, those over the age of 40 are eligible for vaccines across Lincolnshire, and they can arrange an appointment to book through the NHS booking service once they are notified by message.
Hundreds of candidates across the county will be hoping for your X in their box tomorrow (Thursday, May 6) as no fewer than three elections take place.
Voters will be asked to vote for their Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner, along with their ward representatives on Lincolnshire County Council, North East Lincolnshire Council and City of Lincoln Council.
In total there are nearly 100 positions to be filled by 366 candidacies – so how will this year’s elections work?
Polling, counting and results
Polling stations across the area will be open from 7am to 10pm tomorrow, and voters will find the address for their venue on their polling cards.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be several noticeable changes, with thousands of items of personal protection equipment stored at councils across Lincolnshire as officers ramp up preparations.
For instance, queues will look much longer due to social distancing. But don’t worry, staff will be working to get people through the door as fast as possible.
Polling stations will have hand sanitiser on arrival, voters will be asked to wear face coverings and socially distance.
Speaking of staff, you may notice they will be protected this year, from masks all the way to protective screens.
Due to the changes, the councils will not be counting votes overnight. Instead, the next few days will look like this:
Thursday, May 6 – Voting takes place from 7am to 10pm
Thursday night – Votes in Lincolnshire will be verified
Friday morning – County council votes will be counted and announced, North East Lincolnshire will verify its votes
Friday afternoon – City council and North East Lincolnshire council votes will be counted and announced
Saturday – Votes for the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner counted and announced
Lincolnshire County Council
Leaders of the four main parties in Lincolnshire.
More than 250 candidates in almost 70 wards are standing in the Lincolnshire County Council elections.
The Conservatives have overall control of the council with 54 of 70 seats, with Labour having five and needing to gain 50 seats for a majority.
The Independents currently have six seats, independent (non-aligned councillors) have two, Liberal Democrats have one and Lincolnshire Independents also have one. There is a vacancy currently at Market Rasen Wolds ward.
Counts for the county council will take place within each of the seven district councils, with returning officers relaying the information back to a main results centre at the County Offices in Lincoln.
From left, Green candidate Matt Parr, Labour leader Ric Metcalfe, Conservative leader Thomas Dyer and Liberal Democrat candidate Clare Smalley.
Almost 50 candidates in 11 wards are standing in the City of Lincoln elections next month.
Labour has overall control of the council with 24 seats, while the Conservatives have nine and needing to gain eight seats for a majority.
In a series of interviews with Local Democracy Reporters, Labour Party leader Ric Metcalfe said he wanted to build on the success of the party over its last decade in power.
He said his party’s record for the city would help his members to victory, praising the council’s help for residents during COVID-10, significant resistance to the financial crisis, building new car parks and bus stations and moving forward on delivering 500 new homes.
However, Conservative Thomas Dyer said it was “time for change” and said his party hoped to topple their opponents.
He promoted pop-in parking in the town centre, better infrastructure, more action of climate change and bringing forward the £25million Town Deal schemes.
Parties hoping to get their foot in the door included the Liberal Democrats whose priorities include tougher measures on fly-tipping and protecting front-line services, while the Greens wanted to ensure energy efficient homes were in the right place and away from flood plains, while wildflower habitats along grass verges would promote the storage of CO2 and reduce the frequency of mowing.
Labour leader Councillor Matthew Patrick (left) and Conservative boss Councillor Philip Jackson.
There are 61 candidates contesting 14 ward seats in the North East Lincolnshire Council elections next month.
Conservatives took overall control of the council in 2019 after gaining five sears to a total of 23. The party wrestled control from a Labour/Liberal Democrat alliance, with the former party now holding 14 seats and the latter now having four.
Ahead of the election Labour had faced a number of controversial decisions, including the Toll Bar Roundabout and their former party leader being arrested (and later in the year convicted) for drink-driving.
However, it’s entirely possible the red wall in the unitary authority could be rebuilt with just a few reclaimed chairs in the council hall.
Despite some successes over the past two years the Conservatives have seen their own choices questioned and their own controversy around their (now resigned) deputy leader Councillor John Fenty’s dealings with a convicted fraudster.
He said the party had been and would continue to “slowly but surely” rebuild residents trust, and his party this year are focusing on clean streets, tackling fly-tipping, boosting the economic growth of the area, protecting support for more vulnerable residents and increasing mental health support.
However, Conservative leader Philip Jackson felt his party had proved themselves in their first two years in power and said residents recognised the good progress made despite COVID-19.
He pointed to the party’s immediate success with the Toll Bar Roundabout.
His plan is to build on things like street cleaning, the Town Deal, the regeneration of Grimsby and Cleethorpes and increasing recycling rates.
The Lincolnshire Police and Crime candidates faced off on a live streamed hustings.
The Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections has five candidates all fighting for the position.
Votes will be asked to select their first and second preference at the polling booths.
The PCC oversees the strategy and finances of the force, and also hires and fires chief constables, who are responsible for the daily policing operations.
Marc Jones was the second-elected PCC of Lincolnshire in May 2016 and this time his role is being challenged by Labour City of Lincoln councillor Rosanne Kirk and Chair of the Lincolnshire Police Independent Advisory Group (IAG), David Williams from the Lincolnshire Independents party, Ross Pepper from the Liberal Democrats and Peter Escreet from the Reform Party.
She also wants to scrap the “unelected” position of deputy PCC, estimated at £72,000 across four years, and put that money towards tackling rural crime.
David wants to use his experience of working for Lincolnshire Police Independent Advisory Group as well as with youth offenders to increase community engagement and boost the visibility of the PCC and its deputy who, he said, will be a female and from a diverse background if he is elected.
He said that as PCC he would not just attend meetings, but drive the agenda for the county going forward.
Ross Pepper said the current “crime and punishment approach doesn’t seem to work” and he wants to look at the root causes of crime to prevent it from happening, claiming that “fighting crime when it happens is crucially vital, but crime prevention is equally as, if not more, important as well.”
His other key priorities are fair funding for Lincolnshire Police, a return to community policing, tackling serious crime, support for victims, safer streets and a crackdown on speeding traffic.
A banned motorist who drove at 110mph in a bid to flee from police has been jailed at Lincoln Crown Court.
Shaun White, who had been disqualified from driving in June, attracted the attention of officers as he drove through Skegness earlier this year.
Lucia Harrington, prosecuting, said White parked at the side of the road on South Parade and an officer approached him asking for his details.
The name White gave was checked and belonged to someone without a licence.
As a result the officer tried to take the car key off White but the key snapped and White was able to start the engine and drive away.
White then drove around a police car placed across the road to try and stop him. White, who had a female passenger, then headed out of the town and a police helicopter was brought in to track him down.
He was next seen at Partney Island and then headed along the A16 towards Boston. At one point he overtook causing another vehicle to take evasive action and then increased his speed up to 110mph.
White turned onto the B1184 and drove towards Langrick before police used a tactical manoeuvre to stop him.
White, 25, of Kirkfield Road, Withernsea, admitted charges of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and having no insurance as a result of the incident on January 29 this year.
He was jailed for 10 months. He was also disqualified from driving for two years and five months and ordered to pass an extended retest before he can legally drive again.
Leanne Summers, in mitigation, told the court: “At the time he was in a low place in his life. A relationship had recently ended and he had lost his job to COVID. He had lost his way.”
Miss Summers said White was remanded in custody following his arrest and has used the time to reflect on his behaviour.
Lincolnshire Police wildlife investigators are appealing for witnesses to an incident in which a sock has been placed over a swan’s head in Lincoln.
The swan was in the Catchwater Drain in the Coulson Road area of Lincoln when it was rescued on May 2. It had the black sock pulled tightly over its head.
PC Llewellyn, investigating officer, said: “Any type of animal cruelty will not be tolerated and we will carry out a full investigation into this incident. We work with wildlife organisations who report these incidents to us so we can investigate.
“We believe the item has been placed on swan’s head intentionally due to how snug the fit was and how far down the neck of the swan the tube was.
“We do not believe that this was accidental. Had the swan rescue not intervened, the swan would have either starved or potentially suffocated.
“We would like to hear from anyone who can assist us with our investigation or anyone who may have seen anyone around the swan in the water in the days leading up to May 2.”
Lincolnshire Police are working with the RSPCA to ensure justice is served.
RSPCA Inspector Kate Burris said: “The consequences of this mindless prank could have resulted in this poor swan suffering over a long period of time and ultimately ended in their death.
“Given that this is the breeding and nesting season at the moment, this could have also resulted in suffering and sadly death for any dependent offspring.
“We would urge anyone who has any information as to who may have done this to this poor swan. Call the police on 101 or contact us on the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.”
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and it is an offence to kill, injure or take wild birds except under licence. The maximum penalty, if found guilty, is six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
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