Three men pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court on 21 August 2026 to conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal and to cause criminal damage, the Metropolitan Police said.

Police say officers attended a jewellery shop on Mitcham Road in Tooting at about 03:12 on 17 July 2026 and found two men, identified in reporting as Ioan Asafeti and Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, at the scene. The men were reportedly found after they had broken into a neighbouring massage parlour and were attempting to tunnel into the jewellers.

A third man, named in reporting as Sergiu Plastin, was arrested later on 17 July 2026 at Stansted Airport as he attempted to leave the country, according to the accounts cited by police.

Reporting identifies the three defendants as Ioan Asafeti (39), Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara (38) and Sergiu Plastin (42). Met reporting referenced in coverage is said to include dates of birth and addresses or locations, noting no fixed address for two of the men and linking Plastin to Portadown, Craigavon.

The Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad investigation is reported to have linked the group to a series of jewellery-shop burglaries across London between May and July 2026, with alleged losses in excess of £700,000; Interpol checks are said to have suggested possible links to similar offences in Europe.

The Met has referenced body-worn camera footage and CCTV stills showing the attempted tunnel and the arrests, and reporting cites a video link in the Met notes-to-editor.

The three defendants are reported to be due to be sentenced on Friday 23 October 2026 at Kingston Crown Court.

Contemporary coverage of the case is reported to be primarily based on a Metropolitan Police press release; Sky News is cited as providing independent reporting that corroborates the Met account, while other outlets appear to be republications or aggregations of the police material.

This draft is based solely on the cited news releases and reports. It requires editorial review before publication to verify court records, sentencing outcome and to obtain independent confirmation of the linked offences and available footage.