Gang of Romanian 'crime tourists' are jailed after flying to UK to raid 30 homes where they stole £200,000 worth of jewellery, WWI medals and child's PIGGY BANK
- Ninel Spiru, 26, Avram Spiru, 38, and Nicolae-Bogdan Baiceanu, 23, were jailed
- Gang smashed into West Midlands properties between November and February
- They stole jewellery from widowers, christening bracelets and even a piggy bank
- The trio initially denied conspiracy to commit burglary but later pleaded guilty
A gang of Romanian 'crime tourists' have been jailed after flying to the UK to raid 30 homes where they stole £200,000 worth of jewellery, WWI medals and a child's piggy bank.
Ninel Spiru, 26, his cousin Avram Spiru, 38, and Nicolae-Bogdan Baiceanu, 23, smashed into the properties between November 15 last year and February 3.
Detectives said the 'seasonal thieves' planned to raid UK homes in the winter before fleeing to Romania to enjoy their 'ill-gotten gains' in the summer.
Ninel Spiru (left), 26, his cousin Avram Spiru (centre), 38, and Nicolae-Bogdan Baiceanu (right), 23, have been jailed after flying to the UK to raid 30 homes
During their raids across the West Midlands, they stole jewellery from widowers, children's christening bracelets and even swiped a child's piggy bank at one home in Tividale.
The first address they raided was in Kingstanding, where they made off with a laptop, hard-drive and bank cards.
Their final burglary was in the same area on February 3, where they stole gold jewellery and cash.
The gang struck at various times of day and were brazen enough to force open or smash windows in broad daylight while the homeowners were inside.
During one burglary on January 21 in Quinton, they rummaged through a house while the occupier was taking a shower.
The gang were finally arrested when officers stopped Ninel Spiru's black Ford Focus getaway car in Smethwick High Street on February 4.
The stolen jewellery. Thr gang ransacked rooms during their burglaries and stole a stash of valuables including sentimental jewellery from a widower
A Defence Medal, left, awarded for service during the Second World War, and a medal from the First World War, right. Both were stolen during the raids
A search of a nearby flat revealed a hoard of jewellery and cash worth around £200,000 stuffed into bags.
Forensics experts found a drop blood near a broken window pane following a burglary in Coronation Road, Great Barr, on December 4 that returned a DNA hit to Avram Spiru.
His DNA was also recovered from a house in Victoria Road, Wednesfield, that the group raided on January 26. The following day the gang attacked a home in Sutton Coldfield.
Detectives seized CCTV showing Baiceanu opening a side gate to the property before he had time to pull a snood up over his face.
They initially denied conspiracy to commit burglary but later pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court.
Yesterday Avram was jailed for seven-and-a-half years, while his cousin Ninel was sentenced to four years in prison.
The stolen children's piggy bank, taken from a home in Tividale. The gang initially denied conspiracy to commit burglary but later pleaded guilty
Meanwhile Baiceanu, who was living in Smethwick, was jailed for seven years and two months.
West Midlands Police's Detective Sergeant Nigel Box said: 'We are looking at three truly heartless thieves. They had total disregard for the distress and upset they were causing victims.
'They smashed their way into homes, trashed children's bedrooms and swiped sentimental items, including World War 1 medals, from pensioners living alone.
'People had put their lives on the line for those medals, they are treasured possessions, yet these three were happy to steal them to make a few pounds.
'Some victims lost jewellery and electricals valued at many thousands of pounds but they also left some, including children, psychologically scarred, from the trauma of suffering a break-in.'
He added: 'Their flight history suggests they are seasonal thieves, flying into the UK for the winter and returning to Romania to enjoy the summer with their ill-gotten gains.
'They were essentially crime tourists. My team worked really hard to gather evidence against the three and I'm pleased they've all been handed jail sentences.
'We have reunited some victims with their possessions but lots more remains unclaimed.'
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