ROMANIAN men who travelled from London to Craven for a wake stole two bottles of alcohol from a Co-op petrol station, heard Skipton magistrates.

Adrian Corae, 18, and Samoild Dragoiu, 24, were recorded on the Cross Hills, Station Road store's CCTV camera taking a bottle of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Absolut Vodka, together worth £38, the court heard.

They were challenged by a member of staff as they paid for some Red Bull energy drink, but denied taking the spirits and drove off, said prosecutor, Nadine Clough.

They were later on December 17 recognised by a police officer who had seen the CCTV footage and had been called to a disturbance at the Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton, where they were staying.

Mitigating for the men, who both pleaded guilty to theft, with Dragoiu also admitting to driving without insurance, John Mewies said the men should be given credit for getting up at 3am to travel from London to court on a postal requisition.

He said they had been attending a wake and had made the foolish mistake of going to the Cross Hills petrol station to steal two bottles of alcohol.

He described it as an 'unsophisticated theft' in which one of the bottles had been recovered.

Dragoiu, of Netherfield Gardens, Barking, who was on a community order at the time, admitted theft and to driving a car without insurance. He was fined £40 and ordered to pay compensation of £10, costs of £85 and surcharge of £30. For driving without insurance, his licence was endorsed with eight penalty points, which resulted in his being banned for six months as a totter, as he already had six points on his licence.

Corae, with no previous convictions, but with a caution for theft, of Stanley Road, Ilford, admitted theft and was fined £40 and ordered to pay compensation of £10, a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.