Iuliu Kubola, 61, is on the brink of jail after admitting to six wine thefts from high-end eateries in Mayfair, Belgravia, and the City of London. The ex-restaurant worker swiped thousands in booze – and got spotted loading pricey bottles into his pedal-powered tuk-tuk.
Caught Red-Handed with Stolen Wine
Judge Mark Lucraft KC delayed Kubola’s sentence at the Old Bailey to give him a chance to help police recover the missing wine. Some bottles were found on Kubola when he was arrested in June, pedalling through the City of London on his pedicab.
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Asked why he nicked the wine, Kubola shrugged to police, “The wine is to drink, no?”
Six Burglaries and Thousands in Damages
Prosecutor Matthew Jolliffe laid out the spree: On May 1, Kubola broke into Mayfair’s Comptoir Cafe and Wine, making off with £6,000 worth of wine and £200 cash.
Kubola remains in custody while police hunt down the hoarded bottles, reportedly hidden at a wine merchant near Aldgate.
