A GANG of shoplifters travelled across the county multiple times to steal more than £7,000 worth of beauty products from Boots.

Ionut Neacsu, Alexandra Valica, and Alina Pirvu regularly travelled 20 miles from their homes in Illford and Dagenham to Basildon to steal skincare and beauty products from the Boots store in the town.

The three appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court charged with a host of offences, a number of which took place in Basildon between January and October this year.

The first offence took place on January 31 this year, when they stole around £300 of items. A week later, on February 7, they returned to Basildon’s Boots and stole £1,200 worth of goods.

Just under a month later, on March 3, they stole items worth £600.Finally, on October 16, along with Bianca Popa, the group stole £911.85 in products.

Valica and Pirvu also committed a £1,500 theft from Boots in Grays on June 11, plus a £1,970 theft from a Boots in Southend on September 10. Neacsu also committed two thefts in Kent in February.

In total, the four people stole £7,201.24 worth of goods this year.

The group also went equipped to commit thefts with Neacsu caught with wire cutters.

Neacsu, 20, of Riverdene Road, Illford, was jailed for four months and two weeks and must pay £600 compensation.

Popa, 19, also of Riverdene Road, received a one-year community order of 80 hours unpaid work.

Valica, 21, of Brittain Road, Dagenham, admitted six counts of theft and one count of assault and was given a suspended prison sentence and 100 hours unpaid work.

Pirvu, 23, also of Brittain Road, admitted six counts of theft and two counts of assault and was given a suspended sentence and 100 hours of unpaid work.