TWO men who stole £1,000 worth of clothing from a Cheshire Oaks store on Sunday, August 8 have been locked up.

Alexandru Lupascu, 21, of Elm Street, Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, and Valentin Lupascu, 20, of Westfield Lane, Mansfield, both appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on Monday, August 9 to plead guilty to the shoplifting offences.

Valentin Lupascu also pleaded guilty to going equipped for theft by having a foil lined bag.

Prosecuting, Amie Gouldson told the court the offences happened at the Calvin Klein store at the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet.

The two men had been caught with £1,000 of clothing.

Both defendants pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Alexandru Lupascu, the court heard, was on bail for another matter when he committed the theft.

He was jailed for eight weeks and told to pay £128 compensation.

Valentin Lupascu, who was said to have played a leading role in the shoplifting, was sentenced to six weeks in a young offender institution, and to pay £128 compensation. The foil lined bag was to be confiscated.