A Fishponds man's strategy to beat the fuel crisis backfired. After managing to steal £56,000 worth of fuel, he has landed up in jail.
Alexandru Ciuciulete worked as a delivery driver for Bristol-based Arthur David food distribution company as well as food supplier Apetito. Bristol Crown Court heard that it emerged he acquired fuel cards from the businesses and used them to fraudulently fill up containers of fuel .
Ciuciulete, 28, of Ridgeway Road, pleaded guilty to fraud. He appeared at court for sentence today (August 8, 2022).
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Judge James Patrick jailed him for two years. He told Ciuciulete: "There was very significant dishonesty over a long period of time, against not one but two employers. The public would be affronted if I did anything other than to send you immediately to prison today."
Matthew Jackson, prosecuting, told the court Ciuciulete exploited trust placed in him to make money out of his employers. The losses had a significant offence on a time when the businesses were tackling issues thrown up by the Covid pandemic.
It was found Ciuciulete fraudulently used the Arthur David fuel card 200 times at Bristol petrol stations, between May 2019 and June 2020. He managed to steal fuel worth £43,000.
It was also discovered he fraudulently used the Apetito fuel card 30 times to steal fuel worth £13,000. That brought the sum of his offending to £56,000 over 13 months.
Matei Clej, defending, said his client supported a partner and young son and also gave financial help to elderly parents in Romania. Mr Clej said: "There was an element of opportunism to the offending.
"He has expressed very clear remorse to me. He is unlikely to trouble the court again."
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