Man jailed after stealing £25,000 worth of Boots beauty products across three towns

Ionel Elvis Dulea, 47, robbed Boots stores in three seperate areas, taking £25,000 worth of cosmetic products and perfumes - and pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft

A man who stole £25,000 worth of beauty products and perfumes from Boots stores in three seperate towns has been jailed for two years.

Ionel Elvis Dulea, 47, nabbed the items over the course of six months between March and August this year, from shops in Andover, Aldershot and Fareham in Hampshire. He pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft and one count of attempted theft at Winchester Crown Court where he was sentenced.

Dulea, of Stephenson Street, Gateshead, robbed an Aldershot branch of skincare products worth £3,915 and stole £7,626 worth of products from a store in Andover. In Fareham, the 47-year-old stole £13,473 worth of products.

Acting Police Sergeant Devon Smith, from the Test Valley Priority Crime Team, said: "Dulea's brazen shoplifting affected a number of stores, shop workers and members of the community across a large part of Hampshire. Our message is clear - shoplifting in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will not be tolerated. This sentencing should send a clear message to others who are thinking about stealing from the businesses in our area. It will not be tolerated and we will work hard to bring you before the courts, where you will face the consequences."

It comes after a report earlier this year revealed shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales hit a 20-year high, with a total of 469,788 incidents logged in the year to June 2024. The figures represented a 29% increase from the 365,173 recorded in the 12 months prior, marking the highest figure since records began in March 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS stated that "shoplifting remains at record levels", while Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson highlighted the data as evidence of the "scale of the challenge we have inherited in our mission to make streets safer."

Earlier this year, shoplifting levels had already reached a 20-year high, and the latest figures show a further increase. The data also revealed a 20% rise in thefts from individuals, with 139,368 offences recorded in the 12 months to June, up from 116,312 a year earlier.