A migrant living in an asylum hotel claimed he had to steal a £1,000 jacket because he was only given £9 a week to live on, a court has heard.
Varlami Bobokhidze, a 36-year-old Georgian national, was arrested after making multiple trips to the West End to steal items from high end stores last month.
At the time, he was living at the Holiday Inn in Wembley, north London, which is currently being used by the Government to house migrants.
He stole a pair of Levi shorts worth £55 from John Lewis on July 17 and a Moncler jacket worth £1,005 from designer department store Liberty London on Regent Street on July 31.
When he was eventually arrested, he told police: ‘I’m in a hotel, I only have £9.’
Bobokhidze appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty to two counts of theft.
Assisted in court by a Georgian interpreter, he stood with his hands clasped together in a prayer motion as the prosecutor outlined the facts of the case and occasionally made the sign of the cross in front of his body.
Prosecutor Edward Aydin said that Bobokhidze and another male were followed by a journalist from the migrant hotel to several shops in the West End on July 17. The journalist alerted police.
The prosecutor said: ‘Police then travelled there and he was with his friend who still hasn’t been located.
‘They’ve gone into John Lewis to take the Levi jeans and Mr Bobokhidze has taken them, put them in a bag and exited.’
Bobokhidze was seen looking at the stolen shorts before entering Moleskin and Belstaff stores, where he was pushed out by security.
He and his alleged accomplice entered other shops including Lillywhites, Hollister, Barbour and Reiss, before meeting up with friends at Oxford Circus and returning to the Holiday Inn.
Mr Aydin said a security manager at Liberty London later saw photographs of Bobokhidze in the press and linked him to another theft – of the Moncler jacket – on July 31.
The prosecutor said: ‘He’s seen entering the Regent Street Liberty Store, taking the Moncler jacket, de-tagging the jacket so it doesn’t cause the alarm to go off and making his way to the stairwell.
‘He removed his own jacket putting on the Moncler jacket, placing his jacket on top and exiting the store.
‘In that Liberty store he got a friend of his to act as a look out.’
Bobokhidze was arrested on August 14 at the Holiday Inn.
He later told police: ‘I wanted these items for personal use because I only receive £9 a week and I wanted clothing.
‘I couldn’t afford to buy these, and I’m really hoping for these two matters you don’t send me to jail because I didn’t sell the items to anyone.
‘Police officers did find the jacket at my place of living – but even if they didn’t I would still plead guilty.’
When he committed the offences Bobokhidze was on bail facing other shoplifting offences in Southampton and Manchester, as well as being subject to a conditional discharge after being convicted of shoplifting in Surrey.
During today’s hearing, he put his hands together and begged the judge not to send him to jail, saying: ‘Please please, I’m living in a hotel where I reside.’
The judge walked out of court as he continued to protest.
He will be sentenced on September 17.
