Amazon driver admits taking family cat from garden

An Amazon delivery driver caught on a doorbell camera taking a cat from a garden has claimed he did not know it had an owner - and only took it in order to care for it.

Footage of Catalin Stancu's actions went viral after he was seen carrying the cat, called Nora, away from her home in Elland, West Yorkshire, in January.

Bradford Magistrates' Court heard Stancu had kept the cat at his home in Oldham for three days before she was returned, telling police he had not noticed she was wearing a collar.

The 41-year-old Romanian national pleaded guilty to the offence of taking a cat and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for a year.

The court heard Stancu and his family had attempted to return Nora once footage of him taking the cat was shared online by her owners.

Speaking outside court, Stancu apologised to Nora's family and said that people in his home 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 was told the offence was introduced in 2024 to differentiate it from theft and reflect the fact that "a family pet is more than an object".

Three-year-old rescue cat Nora went missing from her home on 19 January.

Prosecutor Paul Ramsey said her owner 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.

He said when Crowther checked his Ring doorbell footage he saw the 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, 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."

Stancu was arrested and Nora was returned to her family, but is now 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.

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.

"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 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."

Police said the case was the first in West Yorkshire brought under the new Pet Abduction Act powers intended to tackle animal theft.

Sgt Cat Ryan, who led the investigation to find Nora, said: "The loss of a pet, especially in circumstances such as a theft, can be a huge blow for a family and this new legislation was introduced due to the seriousness of these offences."

Speaking about the investigation, she said officers recovered Nora after tracing Stancu via his registration plate.

"Our officers who recovered her said she seemed quite unfazed by the whole experience, and it was an absolute pleasure for them to see how happy the Crowther's were to have her home," the officer said.

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