AN “organised crime” gang claim they shoplifted almost £2,000-worth of fragrances to help pay for a funeral celebration after losing their jobs at a factory.

On pulling over the getaway car, police officers were forced into a foot chase across a busy dual carriageway, after more than a dozen fragrance bottles were found in the boot.

Laurentur Ciurar, aged 19, Roxan Demian, 21, Ioan Sava, 31, Luminata Sava, 25, and Verdeata Sava, 31, all accepted two charges each of theft from a shop in relation to the spree on May 1.

But despite a prosecutor’s pleas for the group to be given harsher sentences – describing high value department store stealing sprees as something of a “pandemic” – curfews and compensation payments were imposed instead.

“The crown says this is organised crime,” prosecutor Shafquat Reaz told Worcester magistrates last week. “These are high value products and they are going into department stores knowing they will be out on counters.

“It’s a pandemic, gangs coming from out of town, doing what they did and then evaporating.”

He said he has covered many similar cases in Birmingham, in which shoplifters target stores in the city’s Bull Ring shopping centre and it needs to be stamped out.

However, Chris Aggrey, defending, said his five clients “stupidly” stole the fragrances from House of Fraser in Worcester and Debenhams in Gloucester because they had to “foot the bill” after a relative had died.

Mr Aggrey said in “Romanian traditional circles” after someone has died a party lasting several days is held and paid for by those closest to them.

“The family of the deceased have to foot the bill for everything in terms of all the food and drink and facilities,” said the solicitor. “Given the large number of people that may attend, the bill can run into thousands of pounds.”

He said several members of the group had recently lost their jobs at a fruit factory and were “desperate” for money – leading to them driving over to the two cities from Bedfordshire across one day.

Mr Aggrey added that it was “opportunistic” and “not very sophisticated” and that they were all now back in employment and “haven’t just sat back on their laurels.”

On top of the theft charges, Ioan Sava also pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle with no insurance, and he and Luminata Sava admitted obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty.

Mr Reaz said officers in a marked police car noted the passengers in an Audi A4 were all attempting to hide their faces as the passed them, before pulling over the car in Whittington Road, Worcester.

Officers had also run an insurance check on the car, which showed the vehicle owner lived well outside of the area, increasing their suspicions.

All five defendants were in the car but “it was suggested that they did not know English,” said Mr Reaz.

The officers also noticed the females had “slits in their skirts” and that they were wearing flowing dresses with another layer underneath – though Mr Aggrey said his clients denied this was in relation to the thefts.

On opening the boot, officers found 17 bottles of Christian Dior fragrances.

Having all got out of the car, Luminata and Ioan Sava began “running towards four lanes of live dual carriageway, causing vehicles to sound horns and brake sharply,” continued Mr Reaz.

After a short foot chase, the two men were detained and the vehicle was seized.

Gloucestershire Police then confirmed that fragrance bottles were taken from a Gloucester Debenhams earlier that day and the same Audi was seen in the area on CCTV.

Chair of the bench Wendy Coggan sentenced each of the five to four-month curfews from 8pm to 4am.

They each were also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to Debenhams and £100 to House of Fraser.

Ioan Sava and Luminata Sava were also fined £100 for obstructing the police officer and the former was fined £200 for driving without insurance, while his licence was endorsed with six points.

The court heard Ioan Sava had previously been before the court on a shoplifting charge on April 10, while Luminata Sava was given 18 months suspended for 24 months for another offence.

Mr Aggrey said Luminata Sava had had issues with the law but “has learnt his lesson from that period.”

The five defendants were also ordered to pay a combined total of £1,350 in court costs and victim surcharges.

As they left the court, Luminata Sava said: “We all apologise for what we did.”

Ioan Sava, Roxan Demian and Verdeata Sava live in Preband Street, Bedford, while Laurentur Ciurar and Luminata Sava live in Ash Road, Luton.