Five members of a London gang have been sentenced to a combined 40 years for luring a man into a trap and robbing him in Nottingham.
Victim Targeted Over Laptop Sale
The victim agreed to buy two laptops from Ionel Radu and was told to meet Radu’s 16-year-old son in The Meadows, Nottingham. When he arrived at Hope Close on 27 February 2025, George Chirita greeted him and directed him where to park his van.
Behind a row of houses near a disused shop, three men including one armed with a knife jumped the victim. They slashed his coat, knocked him to the ground, punched and kicked him, and stabbed him in the arm during the vicious attack. The robbers made off with over £6,000 cash and a high-value watch. The man also suffered a facial fracture and cuts under his eye.
Police Crack Case Using CCTV and ANPR
A passerby intervened and the gang fled. Police were called and the victim was rushed to hospital. Detectives used dashcam footage, CCTV, and ANPR to track the offenders’ grey Skoda Octavia getaway car.
Investigations revealed the gang, including Chirita, Costel Ilie, Mihai Melu, Ionut Stoica, and mastermind Radu, had scouted Nottingham the day before. They drove from London to the city to pull the robbery and then fled straight back.
Their movements were broken down piece by piece — even catching a visit to a local KFC before the crime.
Gang Members Sentenced After Pale Attempt to Deny Crime
The London homes of the suspects were raided, leading to multiple arrests. Melu later handed himself in after police recognised his hoodie from the footage.
Chirita, 20, Ilie, 37, Melu, 24, Radu, 49, and Stoica, 31, all denied conspiracy to commit robbery but were found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court. On 18 December, Radu got 10 years; Stoica and Ilie eight years each; Melu seven years; and Chirita, who fled during the trial and is believed to be in Romania, was sentenced in absentia to seven years in a young offender institution.
Justice served on a ruthless gang who thought they could get away with a brutal robbery in broad daylight.
