Off-duty officers foil £20,000 mobile phone theft

Three off-duty police officers helped to foil an attempted theft of £20,000 worth of mobile phones.

The trio were in the Tesco superstore in Jane Murray Way, Burgess Hill, on the afternoon of 17 May when they became aware of the incident.

Together with staff and members of the public, they were able to detain the three suspects to prevent them from leaving the store. A number of people reported being assaulted in the process.

The three suspects were arrested and charged with attempted robbery.

They appeared before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on 19 May, where Valetin Bocan, 23, of no fixed address, and Mario Ilie, 18, of Saint Awdrys Road, Barking, were remanded in custody.

A 16-year-old boy from Ilford, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was released on conditional bail until 16 June.

The case was sent to Lewes Crown Court for a plea and direction hearing on 16 June.