A career criminal who targeted health shops across York and North Yorkshire then skipped the county has been jailed for three years.

Ilie-Robert Varnescu’s raids on Holland & Barrett stores in York, Selby, Scarborough and Whitby, were part of a major campaign against the health store chain that saw him travel across northern England and the East Midlands.

Nottingham Crown Court heard how he loaded his jacket with goods from the display in each store while staff were distracted and walk out without paying.

He was initially arrested in North Yorkshire but tried to evade justice when he was sent on bail to Scarborough Magistrates Court.  Hee and an accomplice both failed to attend the court on January 29 and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was arrested and put before Nottingham magistrates in March.  Varnescu was remanded in custody and sent to Nottingham Crown Court where he admitted the offences.

The court heard that on November 10, he raided the health food's stores on Coney Street, central York, and in Monks Cross shopping centre, its Selby store and and its store in Brunswick Shopping Centre, Scarborough.

Gazette & Herald: Holland & Barrett

On November 12, he raided five Holland & Barrett stores in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.  

On November 16 he was back in North Yorkshire, this time stealing from Holland & Barrett's Whitby store. 

In total, he stole £20,000 during the crime spree.

Varnescu, 50, who gave addresses in Columba Crescent, Motherwell, and School Road, Billesley, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to five thefts in York and North Yorkshire, nine thefts from Holland & Barretts in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Chesterfield, Crewe in Cheshire and Lancaster and theft from a Co-op store in Egremont Cumbria.

PC Abby Pinnock, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Varnescu is a career shoplifter who knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to target each of these stores.

“In the space of one day alone, he swiped thousands of pounds of probiotics and other health items from the shelves of five different shops.

“Stores across six different counties, including Nottinghamshire, were affected by Varnescu’s offending, with our team collaborating with multiple other forces to bring him to justice.  

PC Matt Philpott, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We understand the significant impact shoplifting has on retailers – both the financial loss, and the effect on staff who are left in fear of crime.

"That’s why we treat this sort of offending so seriously, and I would like to thank my colleagues across the forces involved in this case, particularly those in Nottinghamshire who brought the matter to conclusion at court.

“The three-year jail sentence is testament to the severity of his crimes, and should serve as a strong warning to anyone else who thinks they can get away with stealing from retailers in our area.