An Amazon delivery driver who stole a family’s cat while making deliveries could now face prison.
Catalin Stancu, 42, was caught on a Ring doorbell carrying off Nora the cat after dropping off a parcel to her home, in Elland, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on January 18.
A judge has now warned Stancu that he could face jail time for the daylight theft, which the driver pleaded guilty to at Bradford Magistrates’ Court.
The brazen footage of the theft was shared on social media by the cat’s owners, Carl and Sarah Crowther.
The distraught couple and their two daughters were reunited with their beloved pet – after receiving a message from Stancu hours later saying: ‘Hello – I have your cat’.
West Yorkshire Police officers traced the thief and arrested Stancu, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, who pleaded guilty to stealing a cat at a court appearance on Wednesday.
District Judge Alexander Boyd warned Stancu that theft of a pet is viewed much more seriously than the stealing of property.
The Pet Abduction Act 2024, which came into force in England and Northern Ireland in August 2024, makes stealing a cat or dog a specific criminal offence, recognising them as sentient beings rather than just property. Convicted offenders face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.
The court heard that Amazon employee Stancu was delivering a parcel to the Crowther home, in Elland, on January 18. He rang the doorbell, but nobody was at home.
He left the package on the front doorstep – but then proceeded to pick up the cat Nora from the garden and walked brazenly off with her.
When Mr Crowther returned home from work at 3.30pm he was surprised to not be greeted by Nora, which was unusual since that was her feeding time.
The family searched the local area without success. After checking the Ring doorbell, however, the family discovered Nora had been kidnapped by the Amazon driver, and they shared the footage on social media.
The plea went viral and Stancu spotted the appeal and messaged the family, but then added that he couldn’t return it because he’d forgotten their address.
Stancu was traced, arrested and charged by police.
The Crowther family, in a victim impact statement, told the court: ‘When we discovered that Nora had gone missing, we had no idea where she was, or whether she was injured or even alive.
‘Finding out that she had been intentionally taken only increased our fear and emotional distress. Knowing that she had been taken from our garden, a place where she should have been safe, makes it even more shocking.
‘For four days we were left in complete uncertainty as to her whereabouts and the emotional toll on our family was overwhelming.
‘Nora is not just a pet, but she is a much loved member of our family. To have something so important to us taken, felt unreal.
‘We were worried that she could have been hurt, frightened, or worse.’
The family said that Nora was only recovered because of the social media plea, and not because of anything Stancu did.
They said the theft has effected them both emotionally and financially, because they have taken extra measures to safeguard their pets.
‘As a family we feel more anxious and have had to change our daily routines and those of our pets,’ the Crowthers continued.
They said the experience has caused them ‘fear and distress’.
The statement was written on behalf of Carl and Sarah Crowther and their two daughters, who were both sat in the court’s public gallery beside investigating police officers for the guilty plea.
Nora is now safely back home with the Crowthers’ other cat, Domino.
District Judge Alexander Boyd said that theft of animals is a relatively new offence and therefore there are no sentencing guidelines.
‘This offence was brought in to recognise that a pet is not just property, it is a part of the family, which clearly it was in this case,’ said the judge.
‘Therefore, the value of the cat can’t be categorised.’
The court heard the maximum sentence could be as high as five years.
Judge Boyd adjourned sentencing for the preparation of a probation report, which should ‘cover all options, including custody’.
He said the offence is ‘far too serious for just a financial penalty’ and adjourned sentencing to a later date.
Mr Crowther said he was left in ‘total shock and disbelief’ when he discovered Nora missing and reviewed footage taken by his doorbell camera, adding the family were especially concerned for Nora’s welfare as she is ill and requires medication.
But luckily, the family were reunited with Nora after three days apart, with Mr Crowther adding she did ‘not seem fazed’ by her recent hiatus.
The father-of-two said his family were ‘over the moon’ with Nora’s safe return and thanked people for their support.
Carl, a maintenance man, from Elland, West Yorkshire, said: ‘We are delighted, and very much relieved, that Nora is now back home.
‘She does not seem fazed by the events of the past few days and is happily enjoying the extra treats and cuddles.
‘We would like to thank everyone who has liked and shared the social media posts and news articles, we really didn’t expect it to reach so far and wide. Everyone’s kind comments have been appreciated.
‘We […] thank them, along with representatives from Amazon and Zara for their help in getting Nora home safely.’
Mr Crowther had been expecting a package from Zara for his daughter on Sunday, January 18, when Nora went missing. He had been out on a callout with work at 1.30pm – an hour before the delivery arrived.
Initially when he had not seen his cat all day, Mr Crowther was not worried as she is an outdoor cat and ‘knows her way home’.
But when Nora didn’t turn up the following morning, Carl and his partner, Sarah, 52, began to grow suspicious.
It was only when they checked the doorbell footage that they saw the delivery driver picking up Nora and walking off after delivering the package.
He said: ‘Low and behold, I saw this delivery man come down the path with the parcel in his hand.
‘He doesn’t get a response at the door as no one was in so he looks for someone safe to put the parcel. He’s then clocked the cat.
‘It was total shock and disbelief when he picked her up.’
Mr Crowther added: ‘It’s absolutely disgusting. He was there for over six minutes. He comes right up the door, picks up the cat, turns around and walks off.
‘I got on to 101 first and I had a video call at 13.30pm and they said they’d get back in touch within 48 hours. In the meantime, I spoke to Amazon and told them what happened.’
