Medway burglar jailed for more than seven years

A burglar who targeted a house in Chatham with his accomplices and threatened the occupants with weapons has been jailed.

Rogel Dumitru, 20, received seven and a half years' imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday 12 August 2024.

In the early hours of 8 September 2023, several men went to a house near Luton Road armed with bladed weapons, wearing gloves and with their faces obscured by masks or balaclavas.

Having gained entry to the premises, they woke the occupants, assaulted one of them and demanded to know the location of their valuables. Following a search, the criminals stole two watches and two mobile phones before fleeing the scene.

DNA recovered

The police were alerted and an attending patrol saw some men running from the area. A mask was recovered near the victims’ home and a forensic examination recovered DNA belonging to Dumitru.

Investigators were able to show Dumitru and his car had travelled from Bexleyheath to Chatham accompanied by the occupants of a van, before and after the incident.

They also proved he had been in contact with his accomplices Denis Calin and Ion Vasile prior to the crime, and they had all been in the vicinity of the incident when it happened. Further enquiries proved Robert Maytum had also been present.

Dumitru, of Mayplace Road East, Bexleyheath; Calin and Maytum, both Chatham residents; and Vasile, from Maidstone, were arrested later that month.

Guilty

Vasile, Maytum and Dumitru pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to aggravated burglary, whilst Calin was convicted of burglary, following a trial.

Dumitru’s accomplices were previously sentenced on Friday 14 June 2024. Vasile, 22, was sentenced to eight years and five months’ imprisonment and Maytum, 36, was jailed for seven years and two months. Calin, 20, was imprisoned for seven years.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Dan Bister, said: ‘Dumitru played a significant part in this appalling crime and is now joining the three other offenders in prison. This was a premeditated crime during which a family were terrorised in their own home.
'The threats with weapons will have left a lasting impact on the victims and those responsible should be ashamed of their actions. A meticulous investigation ensured the main culprits were identified, swiftly arrested and are now starting lengthy prison sentences.
‘I would like to thank the victims and other witnesses who assisted our investigation and ensured these violent criminals are no longer a threat to other Medway households.’