A man has been jailed for over two years following a string of theft offences in Bury St Edmunds.

Claudiu Stupinean, aged 29 and of Pound Meadow in Bury St Edmunds appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday 15 September where he was jailed for 28 months. It follows a guilty plea.

He was initially arrested on 8 September 2020 on suspicion of theft and following police enquiries he was charged on 23 April 2021 with various offences that all in the Bury St Edmunds area. He was charged with three counts of theft of a motor vehicle, one count of burglary after a painting was stolen, two counts of theft of car keys, one count of theft of military memorabilia, one count of theft of parcels from Amazon, one count of theft of a wedding ring and one of theft of a letter opener.

A search of his vehicle recovered various items of suspected stolen property including jewellery, numerous world war two medals and tie pin badges relating to Normandy war veterans. One of the victims was a male aged 100. Police enquiries established that Stupinean had committed the offences from 30 July 2020 until 15 September 2020. Of the offences he was charged with, five victims were elderly.

Investigating officer PC Lisa Yorke said: “Stupinean started work with a care company in late July last year and exploited and preyed on the vulnerable in their properties, some of whom have now sadly passed away. These were people who entrusted him for their care and wellbeing  but exploited this trust for his own selfish ends. This sentence handed down reflects the seriousness nature of this type of offence and demonstrates that the targeting of vulnerable victims in society will not be tolerated by the courts or the police.