Two men have been found guilty of stealing £10,000 of copper cable from a utilities firm in Yarnton.
Christian Borcea, 33, of Botha Road, Birmingham was convicted of one count of burglary non-dwelling and Florinel Gheorghe, 30, of Allcroft Road, also in Birmingham, was convicted of one count of burglary non-dwelling and one count of driving with no insurance.
Both men appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 3. They have been remanded in custody for sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on January 20. The charges relate to a burglary at Southern Electric Plc's Yarnton Depot, in Woodstock Road on January 1.
Police were alerted to the burglary and following an area search and an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) activation, the men were arrested between junctions 11 and 12 of the M40. Ch Insp Geoff Robinson, Silver Commander for Operation Precious which targets metal theft, said: “Thames Valley Police continues to be dedicated to tackling metal theft across the force.
“Metal theft continues to be a priority and I hope this guilty verdict sends out a strong message that, together with our partners and the metal trade industry collectively, we intend to reduce the number of offences being committed and bring those responsible to account.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said the force was working with licensed scrap dealers as part of Operation Precious, which aims to reduce the opportunity for thieves to sell on or dispose of stolen metal items. This is done by encouraging local, licensed scrap metal dealers and vehicle dismantlers to turn away and report any attempts to sell them stolen metal. All participating dealers are regulated by their local authorities.
