A young mother who stole cosmetics and perfumes worth almost £120,000 from Boots in a shoplifting crime spree has been jailed for 32 months.
Bianca Mirica, 20, was part of an organised crime gang of female thieves who loaded up bags of products in “brazen” raids on stores across London.
Southwark crown court heard one of the gang distracted security while the others “cleared the shelves” or acted as look-out, before simple walking out of the stores.
On one raid, Mirica was seen using a key to get into a locked cabinet filling with expensive Boots products.
She admitted 18 counts of theft between December 2023 and May 2024, for goods totalling £119,318.
But sentencing her to 32 months in prison, Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC highlighted that Mirica has been linked in total to 111 incidents of suspected shoplifting.
“You were brazen about it, walking into a store, clearing the shelves or cabinets, and walking out”, she said.
“Such offences can impact on morale of retail staff, and ultimately may result in loss of revenue being passed on to other customers by increases in prices.”
Mirica cradled her newborn daughter as she was sentenced, having given birth to her in prison.
The court heard Mirica continues to deny being part of an organised crime gang, and claimed to police that the bags full of make-up and perfumes were all for herself.
“Your suggestion you stole goods for personal grooming purposes is patently untrue”, said the judge, adding that Mirica had shown no remorse beyond being “sorry you are now in custody”.
Mirica and her accomplices stole from Boots in the West End, Westminster, Kensington, Hammersmith, Camden, Hornchurch, Islington, Harrow and Haringey.
On three occasions, they raided two separate Boots branches on the same day, and in a raid in Hornchurch last March they walked out with goods worth almost £17,000.
The court heard none of the stolen goods have ever been recovered.
“CCTV footage recovered from each branch shows how the offences were committed”, said the judge.
“You would enter the store in the company of other women, and where necessary security staff were distracted by one of the group.
“You and others cleared the shelves and cabinets of the goods into bags or clothing.”
Mirica, who was 19-years-old at the time of the shoplifting spree, was sentenced over a videolink from HMP Bronzefield, as she cradled her daughter.
The court heard she is the mother to two other children, aged three and 18 months, who have now been sent back to Romania to be looked after by friends and family.
She claims to have entered the UK around five years ago, but has one past conviction dating back to November 2019 when she was 14-years-old.
She gave birth in June while in custody, and is now being held on the prison’s mother and baby unit.
Mirica, who followed court proceedings through a Romanian interpreter, was told she must serve up to 40 per cent of her prison term before being freed on licence.
This means she will be set free by the end of this year, with less than five months left to serve in custody.
