Trio convicted after off-duty officers help to foil £20,000 mobile phone theft in Burgess Hill

By Matt Pole
Published 10th Oct 2023, 14:49 BST
Updated 10th Oct 2023, 14:50 BST
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Three people have been sentenced after they were caught attempting to steal £20,000 worth of mobile phones from a supermarket in Burgess Hill, Sussex Police have confirmed.

Police said the trio entered Tesco in Jane Murray Way on the afternoon of May 17 and started to rip the devices from display.

Sussex Police said their actions caught the attention of staff, customers and three off-duty police officers, who quickly responded to detain the suspects and recover the phones. A number of people were assaulted in the process, police added.

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Sussex Police said the three defendants were subsequently arrested and charged with attempted robbery, and all pleaded guilty.

Three people, including Valetin Bocan (pictured), 24, of no fixed address, have been sentenced after they were caught attempting to steal £20,000 worth of mobile phones from a supermarket in Burgess Hill, Sussex Police have confirmed. Picture courtesy of Sussex PoliceThree people, including Valetin Bocan (pictured), 24, of no fixed address, have been sentenced after they were caught attempting to steal £20,000 worth of mobile phones from a supermarket in Burgess Hill, Sussex Police have confirmed. Picture courtesy of Sussex Police
Three people, including Valetin Bocan (pictured), 24, of no fixed address, have been sentenced after they were caught attempting to steal £20,000 worth of mobile phones from a supermarket in Burgess Hill, Sussex Police have confirmed. Picture courtesy of Sussex Police

Valetin Bocan, 24, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody and appeared before Lewes Crown Court on September 8, where he was sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment, Sussex Police confirmed.

Mario Ilie, 18, of Saint Awdrys Road, Barking, was sentenced to 22 months – suspended for 24 months – at an earlier hearing and a 16-year-old boy from Ilford, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was referred to a youth offender panel, police added.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Stuart MacPherson said: “This was a brazen act of attempted robbery, committed in a busy supermarket in broad daylight.

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“The defendants seemingly had no concern for the consequences of their actions, and it is only thanks to the quick-thinking staff, customers and off-duty officers that they were detained and a significant loss was prevented.”