Man receives 14-month sentence for 88 thefts

A man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for 88 thefts and one attempted theft, mbl.is reported. The Reykjanes District Court also ordered him to pay 800,000 krónur in legal costs for his defence.

The offences took place between 15 December 2024 and 28 July 2026. The goods he stole or tried to steal were worth more than 3.5 million krónur, according to the ruling, which was issued on Friday.

Most of the thefts were from shops, including Bónus, Krónan, Nettó, Hagkaup, Elko and Lyfja. In many cases, the man, Mateusz Popowski, stole chicken and other meat products, often ten or more packs at a time. Among the items taken were 24 packs of chicken breasts from Bónus in April and more than 11.6 kilograms of beef tenderloin from Nettó in March.

He also stole perfumes, skincare products, vitamins, tools, a mobile phone and clothing. The thefts included two jackets worth 196,000 krónur from 66°Norður and 12 perfumes worth more than 242,000 krónur from Hagkaup.

The attempted theft took place at Ferro Zink in March. Popowski put tools worth 159,330 krónur in a bag, but staff stopped him before he left the shop.

Popowski admitted the charges, except for one that prosecutors withdrew. The court said his clear admission was consistent with the investigation materials and dealt with the case without further evidentiary proceedings. His admission was considered when setting the sentence, while the number of offences, their duration and the value of the goods counted against him.

Some of the offences breached the conditions of a suspended sentence imposed in June 2024. The five-month sentence was activated and included in the 14-month prison term. Popowski rejected all compensation claims. A claim included in the indictment was referred to a separate civil case.