Ballymena: arrest warrants issued for shoplifters who left for Romania 'due to safety concerns'
Arrest warrants have been issued for a man and woman who have admitted shoplifting in Ballymena and who left the town for Romania "due to safety concerns".
Nicolae Lacatus (44) and Gabriella Lacatus (45), of the same address listed as Larne Street in Ballymena, stole goods worth £115 including six pairs of men's trainers from Lidl in Ballymena on February 9 this year and they also had a holdall for use in theft.
At an earlier sitting of Ballymena Magistrates' Court, District Judge Nigel Broderick had said he had given them permission to attend through a video link from their solicitor's office.
A defence barrister had told that court: "In the interim they have left for Romania due to safety concerns”.
At the recent court the judge adjourned the case to July 3, saying: "If they are not here without good reason then they run the risk of an arrest warrant".
At the court on July 3, the defence barrister said the defendants "are still in Romania" but they could be back by "early August".
He added: "They left due to concerns for their own safety".
With the defendants not present in court, the judge issued arrest warrants.