Alleged Westmount cat burglar served time in prison in England and Germany

File photo of suspect being arrested and put in prison. (Pexels)

Montreal police (SPVM) confirmed that the man arrested for over 20 burglaries in Westmount is the same person who served time for similar crimes in England and Germany.

Gheorghita Onisei was 47 when he was sent to prison for five counts of burglary in the Surrey and Leytonstone areas of East London.

The Romanian national had also served time for burglaries in Germany, the SPVM confirmed.

Now 57 years old, Onisei was arrested Aug. 14 and is charged with 21 counts of burglary and breaking and entering between April and August in the city of Westmount.

He is due in court on Wednesday in Montreal.

It is unclear how Onisei was able to enter Canada.

The Canadian Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it could not comment on the case due to privacy legislation.

They did say, however, that anyone seeking to come to Canada must meet eligibility and admissibility requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

“Each case is assessed individually,” said a spokesperson. “Entry to Canada may be refused for a number of reasons, including concerns related to security, human or international rights violations, or criminal activity.”