A 28-year-old from Kent who stole almost £30,000 from a Newport man by pretending to be a Police constable has been charged with a string of offences including kidnap, fraud by false representation, blackmail and theft.
Robert Dumitrescu, of Cobham Terrace in Greenhithe, Kent, appeared before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court this afternoon (Tuesday) charged with a total of 5 offences.
The court heard some basic details of the serious case, which has now been sent up to the Isle of Wight Crown Court.
Ann Smout, prosecuting, told the court that Dumitrescu is accused of committing fraud by false representation by impersonating a Police Constable in Newport on 1st April 2021. He is alleged to have kept an Isle of Wight man at his home address before transfering £28,999 from the victim’s bank account. He is also accussed of blackmail by making unwarranted demands with menaces to the sum of £10,000, and stealing the victim’s iPhone 7.
A charge of impersonating a Police Constable has now been withdrawn due to time limitations, however, the other 4 charges have been sent up to the Crown Court on 7th March.
No pleas have been entered and Mr Dumitrescu has been given unconditional bail.
Stuart Manning, 46, of HMP Wormwood Scrubs, is jointly charged with the same offences. He failed to appear in court today and is now due to appear on 18th February.
It’s a “serious case” involving “kidnap, fraud by false representation, blackmail and theft” and yet he was given UNCONDITIONAL bail.
Wow. Just wow.
The CPS bailed that guy who took that kid at Fort Victoria what do you expect?
I totally agree. These criminal yobs should not be given any form of bail for this type of crime, let alone unconditional !v – this astounds me..
The courts are now so far out of touch that the law abiding citizens are giving up all hope for the future of our country, and that of our children and grand-children. The courts and judges need to get a grip and send out a clear message that crime has consequences, and criminals will be made to pay in one way or another. If crime is not punished harshly then it will continue tom escalate and the criminals and yobs end ups winning, to the detriment of our communities, it is a slippery slope into chaos.
Of course this fine upstanding chap will happily turn up at court!!!! Unless there are mitigating factors that we aren’t allowed to know then common sense says that he should have been remanded in custody. Perhaps the judge and the powers that be who granted him bail should face some sort of “stupidity” charge when he fails to appear.
A charge of impersonating a Police Constable has now been withdrawn due to time limitations
.
seriously – is that because those at the court house couldn’t or wouldn’t allocate enough time to work through this charge.
That is a pathetic excuse given by hand wringing apologist do gooders.
The guy clearly impersonated an officer, which is serious enough on its own – stop making excuses and charge, jail and deport this clown
What do you have to do to get jail time?
The charge of impersonating a police constable has been withdrawn yet that’s a major part of the crime and why the victim let this villain into his home in the first place. Doesn’t make sense to me. The poor victim and what he must have suffered and will probably have PTSD for the rest of his life.