Car thief caught when he applied to stay in the UK

Danut Surdu only paid the first installment of £331 on the £19,887 BMW 520 series, in October 2015, before selling it for 4,000 Euros, said prosecutor Ian West.

Santander and South Yorkshire Police were unable to trace him "until Brexit approached and he applied for residency in the UK," he said.

Edwad Moss, mitigating said: "The offence was borne out of hardship and a huge degree of criminal naivety to think he wouldn't get caught.

"He was told by others that this was a way to raise money after he had lost his job.

"He is now self-employed as a driver with Amazon, but he has not been able to work since his arrest. There have been no further offences.

"Most of his disposable income goes back to his wife and two children in Romania. It was an act of desperation."

Surdu, 40, of Dunabban Road, Inverness, has no previous convictions, and pleaded guilty to stealing the vehicle.

Judge Sarah Wright said he made full admissions and "most importantly there has been no offending since."

"But given the value of this vehicle this offence is so serious it passes the custody threshold."

She sentenced him to five months in prison, but suspended it for one year "because there is a reasonable prospect of his rehabilitation," and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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