Iuliu Kubola, of Richie Street, Islington, was caught on CCTV on May 6, 2025, breaking into a restaurant on Threadneedle Street in the City of London and making off with 73 bottles of wine.
Footage showed him putting the bottles into a wheelie bin before loading it into his pedicab.
He was arrested on June 22 at around 12.30am after a police officer spotted him and identified him as a person of interest following a police briefing.
PC Jordan Felstead approached Kubola, who was stopped outside a bar on Cornhill.
Further inquiries by the Criminal Investigation Department linked Kubola to a series of burglaries.
He was seen on CCTV returning to the same restaurant on Sunday, June 15, to steal an additional three bottles of wine worth around £680.
He went back again on Thursday, June 19, but left without taking anything.
Kubola, who admitted with three counts of burglary, will be sentenced in September.
Detective Constable Marcus Fairclough, from the Criminal Investigation Department of City of London Police, said: “Thanks to the good work by our officers, who spotted him and quickly made enquiries and the arrest, Iuliu Kubola will face the consequences of his criminality.
“Burglary has a significant impact on businesses and residential communities.
“We will always take this type of criminality seriously and thoroughly investigate all evidential leads, including forensics, to bring those perpetrators to justice.”
In addition to the stolen wine, Kubola also caused damage to the external door and locks. It cost £1,000 to change the locks and £425 to repair the damage.
Physical forensics manager Andrew Walker, of the City of London Police, said: “Our fast response is vital to maximise forensic opportunities and lessen the impact on the victims.
“Being burgled is horrendous; not being able to tidy up or open your business and resume trading exacerbates this massively.
“The victim is at the heart of everything we do.
“Delivering them justice, whilst minimising the impact that crime has on them, is the bedrock on which City of London Police Forensic Services operates.”
