Thief who used magic tricks to steal £24,000 in jewellery jailed - but mystery accomplice remains at large

UK MIRROR reports one half of a thieving double act who used common magic tricks to steal £24,000 in jewelleryfrom shops across the UK has been jailed.

Unsuspecting staff at one Bristol jewellers said they did not notice the pair walking off with a bracelet worth £750, releasing CCTV footage back in February.

The video helped police officers to identify one the tricksters, Romanian national Mircea Rostas, who has now been jailed for 26 months , the Bristol Post reports .

It has since emerged Rostas and his mystery partner pilfered almost £24,000 in jewellery from shops up and down the country.

Rostas admitted using well-known sleight of hand tricks to steal from shops in Shrewsbury , Hereford, Durham, Newark, Cambridge and Oxford.

His accomplice remains at large, and despite police officers' attempts to track him down, none of the stolen items have been recovered.

Passing sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court , Judge Jonathan Gosling said Rostas and a friend had set out to trick jewellers, deliberately targeting shops with few members of staff.

He said: "It was planned and sophisticated and you were aware other jewellers would be tipped-off after each theft and were prepared to travel across the country to steal where people would not be suspicious."

He said the pair worked in a professional manner to deliberately cause an 'air of confusion', while stealing items by sleight of hand.

Miss Gemma Gordon, prosecuting, said in each case the thieves asked to be shown gold or silver rings, bracelets or necklaces, suggesting they wanted to buy them.

At the shop in Bristol the thieves had looked at the bracelets, with Rostas demonstrating to the shop assistant how he wanted them wrapped.

The thieves claimed they only had Euros, saying they would get the money changed.

Despite leaving a £10 deposit, they failed to return.

Later when staff unwrapped the item to put back in its display case, they found the jewellery was missing.

Miss Gordon said it was the exact same routine used to steal jewellery from other shops.

The pair's escapades were captured by CCTV cameras in jewellers across the country.

Shortly after his arrest Rostas admitted that it was him on the footage.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard he also has one conviction for fraud in the Czech Republic in 2015, receiving a suspended sentence, and was fined for shoplifting in Germany in June last year.

He had been living in the Birmingham area with his wife and young child, and held down a job with a car valeting company.

Lisa Hancox, defending Rostas, said her client was sorry that he 'let his family down', but had been under financial pressure, having taken out a number of loans.