Ipswich man Napoleon Stefan who fled to Germany following Norwich Road knife fight in 2019 is jailed

A 35-year-old Ipswich man who fled the country to Germany following a violent fight in the town in 2019 has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Napoleon Stefan, of Newson Street, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

It came after officers were called to Norwich Road at about 10.25am on November 23, 2019 to reports of a fight involving a group of people with weapons.

Four people sustained non-life-threatening or life-changing injuries during the incident, after which arrest warrants were issued for a number of the people involved.

Officers have been working with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as partner agencies including the National Crime Agency, Border Force, and police forces in Germany and Romania in order to extradite a number of those involved.

Stefan was charged in connection with the incident in February 2020 but later fled the country and was found in Germany. He served one month awaiting extradition to the UK.

Vasile Stefan, now 56, of Dickens Road, admitted violent disorder and possessing a knife at a hearing in July. At the crown court on August 24, he was handed a 17-month jail sentence.

Daniela Stefan, 33, of Newson Street, admitted a charge of violent disorder on Friday, August 20. Vasile Stefan and Daniela Stefan were both extradited from Germany.

At the same court on August 24, she was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months. Stefan was also ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and up to 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

Dudel Pitigoi, 53, of Surrey Road, also admitted violent disorder after he was brought back from Romania. Also, in at the same hearing in August, he was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment.

On Friday, June 4, Cantemir Stefan, 30, of Harvey Street, was jailed for 26 months for violent disorder.

The other man, Ion Pitigoi, 34, of London Road, initially pleaded not guilty to an offence of violent disorder on Monday, September 14 2020.

However, on March 5, 2021, he pleaded guilty to Section 4 Public Disorder and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

Following the incident, 11 people were either charged or summonsed in connection with the incident.

A number of arrest warrants remain outstanding for the others.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here