Teen robbery gang frantically charged into Leeds PC World to raid iPads, phones and laptops worth £40,000

Customers were left shocked as the group of young males walked into the store at Crown Point before darting off in different directions and grabbing at items as staff tried to stop them.

Leeds Crown Court heard this week that five or six laptops were taken, along with tablets, iPads and smart phones. The incident happened at around 8pm on November 1, 2019.

Ionatan Stefan had been in the store 90 minutes before for a “reconnaissance” of the shop, prosecutor Jo Shepherd told the court.

He was part of the group that returned to rob the store a short time later but was identified by the “distinctive” red trousers he was wearing at the time.

Just 16 at the time, he was interviewed by police in October 2020 but gave no comments. A second defendant, Alin Mirea appeared alongside him in the dock this week where they both admitted a charge of robbery. He too was 16 at the time.

The court was told that both had been dealt with for similar offences since then, and had received community orders which they had completed successfully.

Mirea, now age 20, of Meadow Road, Dagenham, Essex was not represented in court. Stefan, now also 20, and of Dorset Terrace, Harehills, was represented by barrister Charles Blatchford.

Mr Blatchford said of the PC World robbery: “It was unpleasant but he was one of the junior members, he was certainly not a leader in this. He is wanting to move on with his life and had an intention of moving to London for work.”

Judge Ray Singh told them: “You are very lucky, it should have been four years’ (jail). The public may think you have got off lightly, but offences you committed later, you were given community orders which you complied with.

"You deserve to go to prison, but I won’t do that.” He gave them both 12-month community orders, with Stefan receiving 80 hours of unpaid work, and Mirea receiving 120 hours.