A 28-year-old man from Kent who stole nearly £30,000 from a Newport man pretending to be a police officer has been charged with a range of offenses including kidnapping, fraud by false representation, blackmail and theft.
Robert Dumitrescu, of Cobham Terrace in Greenhithe, Kent, appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court this afternoon (Tuesday) charged with a total of 5 offences.
The court heard some basic details about the serious case, which has now been forwarded to the Isle of Wight Crown Court.
Ann Smout, prosecuting, told the court that Dumitrescu is charged with committing fraud by false representation by impersonating a police officer in Newport on April 1, 2021. He allegedly kept an Isle of Wight man at his home before transferring £28,999 from the victim’s bank account. He is also accused of blackmail by making unjustified demands with threats to the tune of £10,000 and stealing the victim’s iPhone 7.
A police officer impersonation charge has now been withdrawn due to time constraints, however, the other 4 charges were returned to the Crown Court on March 7.
No plea was entered.
Stuart Manning, 46, of HMP Wormwood Scrubs, is jointly charged with the same offences. However, he did not appear in court today.
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