A TRIO of brazen shoplifters have been sentenced after stealing designer coats from a shop in Warrington town centre.

Gheorghe Paun, Renathe Ionita and Marius Toma helped themselves to 13 Michael Kors coats from the TK Maxx store in Golden Square Shopping centre.

The items had a combined value of 969.87 to the retail shop chain when they were stolen on Thursday, February 2.

The defendants were mocked by Cheshire Police officers after being caught, who said their actions were ‘not the best idea’.

They stole the coats while a policeman was present talking to staff about an unrelated incident.

After making off on foot, the offenders were detained by police on the front lawn of Warrington Town Hall and arrested on suspicion of theft.

All were subsequently charged with theft from a shop, and they were sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court the following day after pleading guilty.

Toma, aged 25 and of Gordon Road in Barking, was jailed for 18 weeks after being told by magistrates that the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified.

They added that the defendant has a ‘flagrant disregard for people and their property’, while he committed the offence during the period of a suspended sentence.

Paun meanwhile, aged 27 and of Hampton Road in London, was handed a sentence of 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.

The custodial sentence was suspended because the bench felt that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in his case.

Ionita, aged 18 and also of Gordon Road in Barking, was told he must pay a fine of £120, as well as costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £40 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £48.

No compensation was ordered for each of the defendants as the coats were recovered without any damage.