London tuk-tuk wine thief given ultimatum by judge

"I am going to adjourn the sentence to permit Mr Kubola to assist police to recover what was taken. If that has not happened by then, I will draw my own conclusions from that," said Judge Mark Lucraft KC last week in relation to Iuliu Kubola's theft of fine wines from London restaurants, as reported in The Standard.

The robberies

Between 1 May and mid-June, Kubola targeted Comptoir Cafe and Wine in Mayfair, sibling restaurants Oliveto and Olivo in Belgravia, and Piazza Italiana in the City of London – visiting the latter on three separate occasions.

During the first of his raids on Piazza Italiana, Kubola broke into the restaurant between 3 and 4am, loading 73 bottles of wine, valued at £23,801, into a wheelie bin in the back of his pedal cab – he also stole £100 of cash from the till during that particular robbery. On the second occasion, during the early hours of 15 June, he was caught on CCTV. On the third visit to Piazza Italiana, four days later, he fled when an alarm sounded.

On 22 June, Kubola was identified and arrested by the police while pedalling his tuk-tuk in the City of London. As well as tools including an angle grinder and pliers, he was found in possession of wines including a bottle of Champagne Laurent-Perrier and a bottle from Villa Bucci in Marche. According to Piazza Italiana's website, the restaurant stocks the Villa Bucci Verdicchio Classico Superiore 2023, selling it for £72.

When the police asked what he intended to do with the stolen wine, Kubola replied: “The wine is to drink, no?”

During his questioning, Kubola suggested that the estimated total value of the wine he had stolen from the restaurants at £31,000 was too high: "It was not that much. I have had a restaurant in Italy for 20 years. It did not add up to that much."

In court

Speaking during last week's trial at the Old Bailey, Kubola's defence, Daisy Kell-Jones, claimed that her client used to work at Oliveto and Piazza Italiana, arguing to the court: "He was effectively not paid and he made the reckless and stupid decision, rather than confronting the owners of these restaurants and asking for his salary, he effectively decided to go in and take the salary for himself."

Judge Lucraft has decided to postpone the sentencing of Kubola until Monday 3 November to allow time for the wine to be recovered.

As for where the stolen wine is, Kell-Jones claimed that Kubola disclosed to her that it is being stored at a wine merchant and restaurant close to Aldgate, on the eastern edge of the City of London.