A thief accused of stealing Chelsea footballer Cesc Fabregas £8,500 electric bike and then posing as the star to get security devices changed has failed to appear in court.
Vlad Emil Grigoruta, 24, stole the Spanish World Cup winner’s custom Greyp G12S model bike from a house linked to the footballer in Belgravia, central London, it is alleged.
He then used a fake email address in a bid to convince manufacturers to grant access to its fingerprint and digital unlock codes, it is claimed.
A warrant was issued for Grigoruta’s arrest at Westminster Magistrates Court today (WED) after he failed to show up for his first appearance.
He allegedly set up a fake email address, ‘[email protected]’, then contacted the Croatian manufacturer in an attempt to gain access to the bike.
Grigoruta, of Harrow, Middlesex, is charged with one count of theft and another of fraud.
A third count of “making articles” for use in fraud was dropped by prosecutors.
Prosecutor Victoria Murphy told the court: “My application is a warrant.”
Chairing the bench, Jeffrey Manton said: “He was told to be here at this time. We’re going to issue a warrant.”
The theft is alleged to have happened on February 21, 2018 and the fraud emails are said to have been sent in February and March.
Fabregas, who has also played for Arsenal and Barcelona, did not attend today’s brief hearing.
According to the Croatian company’s website, the bike can reach speeds of up to 70kmph (43mph).
