Romanian migrants embarked on crime spree within days of arriving in UK

 Two men went on a crime spree just a day after travelling more than 1,000 miles from Romania to England. Ion Zaharia, 44, and Samir Barbulesteanu, 23, travelled on October 28 last year, arriving at the Harwich sea port in Essex with another man.

"Almost immediately", they embarked on a crime spree between Warrington and Scarborough in North Yorkshire, striking several properties over a two-week period. At Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, prosecutor Nick Cockerill said: "These two defendants, both of whom are Romanian, entered this country on October 28 last year. They travelled in a Citroen C4 vehicle with French licence plates. They came to the port of Harwich and they presented with a third male, who has yet to be apprehended. Within a very short time of their arrival, the offences were committed in the Warrington area." The first incident took place on October 29, 2025, when one victim returned to her home on Mill Lane, Great Sankey, at around 6.30pm to find her daughter's bedroom window had been smashed.

The woman said: "When I got home, I went to close the blinds of my daughter's bedroom window and noticed shattered glass on her bed. I looked at the window and could see the internal glass had smashed. I went outside to have a look and could see a number of clear marks and dents on the frame where I believe someone has used an item to try and force entry to my address."

That same night, the defendants made their way to a house in Rainhill, where an elderly lady was sleeping, the Liverpool Echo reports. Mr Cockerill said: "When she awoke the next morning, she found that her conservatory's doors had been smashed, entry had been made, but nothing had been taken.

"She said that although no items were taken, damage had been caused to the door and window. More importantly, she says 'I live alone, and the whole thing has left me very shaken. I feel unsafe in my own home'."

The burglars struck again on October 30, when a male victim and his family returned to their home on Liberty Close, Great Sankey, following a holiday. They noticed the central heating had been triggered due to low temperature in the house, and discovered evidence of a break-in.

Mr Cockerill said: "Entry was via a back patio door, which had been smashed to obtain a key. Certainly, an untidy search had been conducted of some areas of the house, including the children's bedrooms."

Jewellery belonging to the victim's late brother had been stolen, along with £1,500 from a bedroom drawer and £40 from the victim's daughter's money box.

Mr Cockerill added: "The wardrobe doors had been ripped off their hinges and damaged. There were beads of glass stuck on the carpet from where the door was smashed, and the glass had been trodden in. Clothing had been ripped as it had been thrown onto the floor, and there were some iPads that had been stood on and cracked."

On November 1, a fourth victim discovered that a screwdriver had been left at the back of her house, resulting and damage to a rear gate and a security camera. She spoke to her next-door neighbour, who recalled hearing a dog barking on October 29, and a search of Ring doorbell footage showed Zaharia, Barbulesteanu, and the third male in the Citroen C4.

On November 10, a solicitor carrying out a property check entered a house on Linton Close in Scarborough and discovered it had been broken into. Mr Cockerill said: "She looked into the wardrobe and found that a safe had been taken."

The safe belonged to the house's deceased owner, and was said to contain some jewellery "not of any particular value."

Images of the three men were shared, and Zaharia and Barbulesteanu were arrested on November 9, 2025, when Zaharia was found to be in possession of jewellery and £490 cash.

Zaharia, of no fixed address, was said to have convictions in France, Romania, and Austria for offences including handling stolen goods, aggravated theft, attempted burglary, dealing stolen goods, fraud, and aggravated burglary by an organised gang. Barbulesteanu, of Rookery Road, Birmingham, had no previous convictions.

Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.

Oliver Saddington, defending Zaharia, said: "He wants to put forward his remorse through me. Her tells me that his life in Romania is poor. He tells me it's hard to earn decent money there.

"He's undertaken employment as a chef and on-and-off employment in construction in Romania to provide for his two young children and wife. He has spoken to the authorities at the Home Office already in custody, and I understand a direction relevant to his likely deportation has been signed already.

"He knows that any sentence of prison is likely to trigger Section 32 of the UK Borders Act [the Home Secretary must make a deportation order against a "foreign criminal" unless certain circumstances apply] and his wish is to return to Romania as soon as possible."

Olivia Beesley, defending Barbulesteanu, said: "This defendant has no previous convictions, which the defence submits is a mitigating factor. He's much younger than his co-defendant, at 23 years old.

"He tells of a very difficult life in Romania, difficult to make a living. He does have a wife and a child of five, a daughter. His mother and father are unwell, and he supports all four of these family members."

Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: "Anybody having their home broken into in this way, their castle, the place where they should feel safe, has all that safety and protection undermined."

He sentenced Zaharia to four years and three months in prison, and Barbulesteanu to three years and six months in prison, adding: "The expectation is that you will be deported rather than be released into the community in his country."