THE rise in the number of crimes being committed by Eastern European gangs in Worcester has been branded an epidemic by a judge.

District judge Bruce Morgan was speaking at Worcester Magistrates Court as he sentenced a gang of four to several months in prison for stealing perfumes worth £750 from the city’s Superdrug shop.

As reported in your Worcester News yesterday, Mr Morgan had told the court he was “deeply concerned” about gangs coming to Britain with the sole purpose to commit crimes against vulnerable people, as he sentenced 19-year-old Ceca Dadic to six months in custody.

In court yesterday, Mr Morgan said: “These gangs come for one of two reasons – either to plunder the stalls for expensive items or to steal from the handbags of the vulnerable.”

He said Ionela Baciu, Cristian Tudor, Constantin Radovici and Risu Ilinca were like a number of professional theives coming to the UK to steal in epidemic levels.

Baciu, aged 27, Tudor, 18, Radovici, 18 and Ilinca, 26, travelled to Worcester from their homes in Birmingham on Wednesday, September 15.

Sarah Stock, prosecuting, said a Superdrug security guard spotted the four working in pairs.

“The guard saw Baciu and Ilinca select a number of bottles of perfume, worth £307.92, and place them in a foil-lined bag,” she said.

“She also watched as Tudor and Radovici selected £448.89 worth of fragrances and put them into another foil-lined bag.”

Police officers detained the group as they left the shop.

All four later admitted the charges, claiming they did not have employment, and Baciu also said she was funding a £30 a day heroin addiction.

Edward Gaynor-Smith, defending, said the crimes were financial, committed out of necessity.

He said: “They have all come to the UK for employment, hearing there was employment available when they were back in Romania.

“But unfortunately that has not transpired and they are not entitled to any form of benefits and therefore, without money they have stolen.”

But Mr Morgan said: “These four defendants bring the number of defendants from Eastern Europe to 10 I have dealt with in the past week.

“I do not accept for one moment they have come over here to work, they have come over here as members of a professional gang of thieves.

“This is organised crime where you all four come from the same country and you are able to find addresses in Birmingham. Two of the addresses given today are identical to two of the addresses of other defendants I have dealt with on other days.”

Baciu, of Willes Road, and Radovici, of Nineveh Road, were sentenced to two months in custody. Ilinca, of Holyhead Road, who was already the subject of a suspended sentence, was sentenced to the eight weeks of his suspended sentence and an additional four months in custody.

Tudor, of the same address in Willes Road, received a caution last week for similar matters and was sentenced to three months in custody.

After the hearing Inspector Janet Heritage said: “This type of crime is increasing nationally and is not an issue specific to Worcester.

“However, it is a crime officers are well aware of and continue to work hard to stamp out in our communities.”