Sixth attempt to sentence hotel migrant fails
An asylum seeker who stole a £1,005 jacket from Liberty failed to attend court prompting a judge to adjourn the case for the sixth time – costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds.
Varlami Bobokhidze, 36, was arrested after he made multiple trips to the West End to steal from high end stores.
Bobokhidze, who is Georgian, was living in the Holiday Inn, Empire Way, Wembley, which is being used as migrant accommodation.
He stole a pair of Levi shorts worth £55 from John Lewis on 17 July and a Moncler jacket worth £1,005 from designer department store Liberty London on Regent Street on 31 July.
He was seen going into multiple luxury stores looking for items to steal on 17 July.
When arrested he told police: ‘I’m in a hotel I only have £9.’
He admitted two offences of theft.
He was due to be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates Court today (mon) but the hearing was adjourned because Bobokhidze said he was unwell and did not attend.
Malachy Pakenham, prosecuting said: ‘This is the sixth listing of this case. It is about time the taxpayer had some relief on it, and to bring it to some kind of conclusion.’
Bobokhidze will now be sentenced on Wednesday (15) October.
Magistrate Chair William Gibbs said: ‘Next time if he fails to appear he will be sentenced in his absence.’
Earlier prosecutor Edward Aydin earlier said Bobokhidze and another male were followed from the migrant hotel to the West End by a Sun journalist.
He said: ’Police were alerted after he was followed by a journalist from The Sun on 17 July 2025.
‘Police then travelled there and he was with his friend who still hasn’t been located.
‘They’ve gone into John Lewis to take the Levi jeans and Mr Bobokhidze has taken them, put them in a bag and exited.’
Bobokhidze were seen looking at the stolen shorts before entering Moleskin and Belstaff stores but being pushed out by security.
At 3pm the other man entered Lillywhites with Bobokhidze waiting outside.
They entered Hollister, Barbour and Reiss, before meeting up with friends at Oxford Circus and returning to the Holiday Inn.
Mr Aydin said a security manager at Liberty London later saw photographs of Bobokhidze in The Sun and linked him to another theft on 31 July.
The prosecutor said: ‘A security manager reading the newspapers and seeing photos of Mr Bobokhidze in The Sun alerted police because he had CCTV images of Mr Bobokhidze taking a Moncler jacket which was worth £1,005 and not returned.
‘He’s seen entering the Regent Street Liberty Store, taking the Moncler jacket, de-tagging the jacket so it doesn’t cause the alarm to go off and making his way to the stairwell.
‘He removed his own jacket putting on the Moncler jacket, placing his jacket on top and exiting the store.
‘In that Liberty store he got a friend of his to act as a look out.’
When he committed the offences Bobokhidze was on bail facing other shoplifting offences in Southampton and Manchester.
He was also subject to a conditional discharge after being convicted of shoplifting in Surrey.
Bobokhidze, of Holiday Inn, Empire Way, Wembley, admitted two offences of theft
