Caught again by CCTV, Romanian sentenced to four years in jail

Silviu Pileandru, 25 of Bucharest has been jailed tonight for four years after he admitted to stealing €4,000 in cash from the till at a warehouse in San Gwann.

Video footage and stills of the Romanian as he entered the warehouse of Summit Importers and Distributors in San Ġwann were posted on Facebook and YouTube, and identified in less than 24 hours of the theft being reported.

This was the second time in two months that Pileandru was caught stealing by CCTV camera.

Last September, another video and photographs went viral on Facebook and YouTube showed Pileandru steal  €2,700 in cash from Aroma Restaurant in Sliema.

He had dyed his hair after his picture was posted on Facebook and passed on to the media by the restaurant owner, who claimed that the money stolen during the break-in, was money to pay the salaries to his staff.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto, who appeared for the Romanian, said that his client suffered from schizophrenia and needed medical care. He said that the accused' brother has been living in Malta for the past four years, and was willing to take him in.

Pileandru had also promised to repay the money stolen - including an additional €232.94 stolen on September 10 from Swish boutique in Bisazza Street, Sliema - within 30 days.

Montalto explained that Pileandru's brother, who works as a plasterer, was doing all he could to raise the money to pay the injured parties and avoid having him be sent to prison.