‘Moment of madness’ as man steals hundreds of pounds worth of face cream for Christmas present

A “moment of madness” resulted in a man stealing from a pharmacy in an attempt to give his partner a Christmas present.Puiu Baiaram, 34, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to theft from a shop.He committed the offence on December 9 at Boots on the Hardwick industrial estate. He and an accomplice concealed around £400 worth of skin care products before leaving without paying.

Shortly afterwards, Baiaram was apprehended at the nearby KFC restaurant. During a police search, £160 worth of the products were found on his person and therefore recovered.However, the remaining £240 worth of creams have never been located.Magistrates, led by Louise Barber, therefore ordered Baiaram to pay £40 in compensation to Boots.He was also fined £100, and will pay a £40 victim surcharge.Mitigating, duty solicitor Andrew Cogan said Baiaram, of St Pauls Road in Peterborough, had been visiting Lynn to see friends on the date of his theft.He said the defendant works in a flour factory, but a lack of funds meant he was unable to purchase a Christmas present for his partner.“He wanted to do so, and stupidly took the opportunity to go into Boots while down on the Hardwick with his friend,” M Cogan said.“There is CCTV footage of them, as you might expect. For a moment of madness, he has now lost his good character.“When he was stopped by plain-clothed officers in KFC, he volunteered the products and they are ready to be resold.”