Romanian pickpocket got flight into UK – despite being deported three times

A Romanian man managed to get travel documents and fly into the UK despite having been deported three times for stealing.

Gigi Bratasanu, 48, is a prolific pickpocket with a history of ‘preying’ on Londoners for their valuables.

He was originally deported in October 2022 following his conviction for a string of thefts but returned in August last year.

Bratasanu was put on another flight back to Romania in September 2024 but re-entered the country just weeks later to continue his offending.

After serving a prison sentence, he was deported for the third time in January.

Despite having been served three deportation orders in as many years, Bratasanu was able to obtain an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to get back into the UK.

An ETA lets you travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons for up to six months.

Inner London Crown Court was told he claims he only came back to get a hair transplant – not to steal again.

Bratasanu pleaded guilty to knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order last week.

Prosecutor Claire Langevad said: ‘This is the first time – perhaps oddly – he’s been prosecuted for the breach.’

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has faced mounting pressure over immigration and has announced plans to make every adult in Britain have a digital ID card in a bid to curb it.

His new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also taken a tougher stance on migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain.

In the year ending March 2025, there were 44,125 detected illegal entries, 14% more than in the previous year. Nearly 90% of those arrived on small boats.

The Home Office told Metro it remains fully confident in the integrity of the ETA system.

Ms Langevad told the court: ‘Mr Bratasanu is what has been described as a Romanian pickpocket. He has a history of being deported from the UK.

‘The first [order] was [dated] October 3, 2022. It seems he was deported on February 27, 2024, following an issue with the deportation order.

‘He then returned to the UK in August 2024. He was detained and put back on a flight in September 2024.

‘Back he comes in October 2024, when he is arrested for further offenses, and he is deported for the third time following a custodial sentence in January 2025.

‘He has then gone on to make an application under the ETA travel authorisation on April 13, 2025. I understand he travelled in on that, despite being subject to a deportation order.

‘He is then subsequently arrested on June 18 by British Transport Police officers and has remained in custody since.’

defense lawyer Maddison Fisher told the court Bratasanu has called Spain home since the age of five and has a wife and two children living in Madrid.

‘He tells me he came to the UK to get a hair transplant,’ she said. ‘He got that transplant on April 24 or 25. He says while the price is the same in Madrid, in the UK the quality is better.’

Sentencing him, Judge Freya Newbury told Bratasanu: ‘You are somebody who has a history of what you might call recidivist thieving behavior.

‘It appears that previously you came over to London to prey on people and take their wallets and phones and so on.

‘You were arrested on June 16 in the UK again, although this time you apparently didn’t come over to thieve – apparently you came over for a hair transplant.

‘I’m not sure about all of that.’

The judge imposed a sentence of two years in prison, telling Bratasanu that he would have served up to 40% of that term were he to stay in the UK.

‘But that is not going to happen in this case, because you will once again be deported,’ she added.

A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘It is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases, but when foreign nationals commit serious crimes in our country, we will always do everything in our power to deport them.

‘This government deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year in office, a 14% increase on the previous year, and we will continue to do everything we can to remove these vile criminals from our streets.’

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