A 53-year-old man has admitted stealing over £3,000 worth of goods, including high value toiletries and batteries, from five Pembrokeshire stores.

Marian Vagea visited each of the stores on the same day, namely March 8.

He stole toiletries valued at £2,547.70 from Boots, Pembroke Dock; toiletries and other items valued at £472 from Boots, Haverfordwest; toiletries valued at £188.26 from B&M Pembroke Dock; batteries valued at £203.60 from Home Bargains, Milford Haven and batteries valued at £106.29 from Home Bargains, Haverfordwest.

The total value of the stolen items amounted to £3,517.85.

“This amounted to high culpability,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

A second man, Nicholas Dragoi, 19, is jointly charged with all five offences, however he failed to attend this week’s hearing. As a result, magistrates issued a warrant without bail for his arrest.

Vagea, of Princethorpe Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty to five charges of theft via a Romanian interpreter who was on a video link.

Ms Vaughan requested magistrates to decline jurisdiction in the case, as a result of the high value of the stolen items.

But Vagea’s solicitor, Michael Kelleher, urged magistrates to proceed with the sentencing.

“My client went along for the ride rather than anything else that day, because the others were the main perpetrators,” he said.

“The defendant requests that the matter be dealt with today as he has a heart operation booked for next week and is very anxious to put this behind him.”

Mr Kelleher’s request was refused by the magistrates.

“We feel that this is a serious offence because of the high value of the goods and because it was part of a group activity,” said the presiding magistrate. “As a result, we decline jurisdiction.”

Vagea is now listed to appear at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing on November 28. He was released on unconditional bail.