Thefts of alcohol worth over £8000 at stores in Ipswich, King's Lynn and Norwich see three London men put behind bars

Three men from London have been jailed and fined for stealing over £8000 worth of alcohol in Suffolk and Norfolk.

The trio appeared at Norwich Magistrates' Court on August 12 for the thefts at stores in Ipswich, King's Lynn and Norwich.

The crimes were between March 12 and August 10 of this year.

Officers were alerted by a member of the public that a large quantity of alcohol was stolen from Campbell's Meadow in Kings Lynn.

A vehicle with two of the defendants was pulled over shortly afterwards, which was later seized as it had no insurance.

Both the driver and passenger were arrested, with the remaining defendant being arrested on foot shortly after.

All three were linked to earlier thefts and were subsequently arrested for those.

Ionut Preda, 21, of Erskin Road, London was sentenced to one year and 18 weeks in prison for theft and ordered to pay £128 in compensation.

Alin Chica, 22, also of Erskin Road, was sentenced to one year in prison for theft and given six penalty points on his driving licence for driving without insurance.

Marian Ionite, 26, also of Erskin Road, London has been sentenced to 34 weeks in prison for theft and ordered to pay £128 in compensation.