A delivery driver caught on a doorbell camera taking a cat from a garden has avoided jail. Catalin Stancu, 41, was handed an eight-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, after admitting that he took Nora from outside her home in Elland, West Yorkshire, in January.
Stancu, from Oldham, told police he saw the cat in the rain and was unsure if she had an owner, despite observing her collar.
A court heard Nora’s family endured three distressing days without her. After they posted footage of her being taken online, appealing for her return as she required medication, the video quickly went viral. This social media backlash prompted Stancu to contact the family to arrange Nora’s return.
Stancu pleaded guilty to taking the cat, which Bradford Magistrates’ Court heard is a new offence introduced in 2024 to differentiate it from theft and reflect the fact that “a family pet is more than an object”.
Speaking outside court, Stancu apologised to Nora’s family and said that people in his country of Romania had been taunting him since the social media post started circulating.
Stancu said he had no “bad intention” and added: “I didn’t steal it, I just took it.”
The court heard three-year-old rescue cat Nora went missing from her home on 19 January.
Carl Crowther, who lives with his wife, daughter and stepdaughter, became alarmed when she did not return home for tea as normal, and was still missing the next day.
Prosecutor Paul Ramsey said Mr Crowther checked his Ring doorbell footage, which showed an Amazon driver delivering a package then staring at Nora for a “prolonged period of time” before picking her up and putting her into a car.
The court heard that after the footage was posted online, Mr Crowther received a Facebook request from Stancu, and his daughter received a TikTok message saying: “Hello, I have your cat. Please text me your address. I tried to give the cat back but I forget the place I took it.”
The court heard Stancu was arrested and Nora was returned to her family, but is unable to go outside in the same way she used to, and the family have had an enclosed outdoor area built for her over fears she could be taken again.
A statement from Mr Crowther’s stepdaughter Kyla Sharpe, 18, who attended court with her mother Sarah Sharpe, said the family now felt more anxious and had changed their daily routine.
In mitigation, the court heard Stancu was “genuinely remorseful” and asked the family to accept his apology.
Handing him a suspended jail sentence, District Judge Paul Marks told Stancu: “Whatever your initial motive was for taking Nora, and whatever concerns you had about Nora’s health, you should not have behaved in the way you did.
“Nora was a much-loved family pet and the family wanted her back… The distress they suffered for three days when they knew nothing of where Nora was, was very upsetting.”
Stancu, who has three previous convictions for dishonesty offences but has not been in court since 2013, was also ordered to carry out 15 rehabilitation activity days and sentenced to a three-month electronically monitored curfew.
Judge Marks also ordered him to pay the family £500 compensation, but added that “the value of Nora can’t be measured in pounds and pence”.
After leaving court, Stancu told reporters: “I apologise, I accept my punishment.
“It was not with bad intention to take the cat. I didn’t steal it. I just took it… I tried my best to give the cat back when I saw on social media. I didn’t know the cat belonged to them.”
Reading a statement on behalf of her family outside court, Kyla Sharpe said: “Today’s sentence cannot undo the distress and heartbreak our family has suffered, but we are grateful that the court recognised the seriousness of what happened.
“Our much-loved Nora was taken from our garden by someone who had no right to do so.
“She is not just a pet, she is a cherished member of our family, and the fear of not knowing if we would ever see her again was devastating for us all.
“We are incredibly thankful and relieved that she was eventually returned safely to us.
“Having her home again means everything to our family, but the emotional impact of what happened will stay with us for a long time.
“We hope today’s outcome sends a clear message that animals are not objects to be stolen, and that the pain caused to families by these actions is very real.
“We have spoken to Mr Stancu and accept his apology.”
