A SHOPLIFTING duo who stole £2,000 of cosmetic and skincare products from Boots have been banned from Worcestershire and ordered to carry out unpaid work for a year.

Ghioca Bogdan, aged 32, and Christina Stan, aged 41, were both found guilty of three counts of theft from a shop at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Friday (October 11).

Their offences relate to incidents in May and June of this year at the Boots store in the Kingfisher Centre in Redditch.

Bogdan and Stan, of Bolingbroke Road, Coventry, had been coming into the town and stealing from the shop.

They were both handed a community order to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months, pay £957.16 in compensation, £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £57.

They are also banned from entering Worcestershire unless they are attending a police station, court or a solicitor’s appointment.

Police Sergeant David Roberts, of the Redditch Town Centre Team, said: “This result has seen another two shoplifters convicted and banned from the town following a good investigation by officers from the team and our retail partners.

“We are pleased they have been ordered to pay back the value of what they stole and hope this sends out a strong message to would-be offenders that we will always investigate and prosecute where possible for these acquisitive crimes.

“Shoplifters’ actions have a major impact on livelihoods in the communities we serve in north Worcestershire. Shoplifting can affect retail prices, insurance premiums and damages local communities through fear of crime.”

This week is Safer Business Action Week (SaBA Week) which showcases what West Mercia Police does to tackle and prevent business crime.

SaBA Week, which runs from Monday, October 14 until Friday, October 18, aims to raise awareness of the issues affecting businesses such as shoplifting, burglary and anti-social behaviour (ASB).