Ecclestone burglars stole £26m targeting celebrities
Frank Lampard and late Leicester City owner were also raided, court told
A GANG of alleged burglars made off with “f abulous j ewellery and cold, hard cash” from the homes of multi-millionaire celebrities including Tamara Ecclestone and Frank Lampard, a court has heard.
Three raids on west London homes in December last year netted “big money”, which was later laundered through spending splurges, including at Harrods, Isleworth crown court was told.
The pinnacle was a £25 million raid at the Kensi ngton home of Tamara Eccle s t o ne, belo w, t he daughter of Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 chief, reckoned to be one of the UK’S largest burglaries.
Christine Lampard, the television presenter, and her husband Frank, the Chelsea FC manager, had around £ 60,000 i n watches and jewellery stolen the previous week, before raiders ransacked the family home of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the late Leicester City FC chairman, who died d in 2018 in a helicopter crash. h
The court heard that hat the alleged burglars l ars toasted the success ss of the £1 million raid on n the Thai billionaire’s s property the next day, e nj oyi ng a £ 760 champagne and sashimi lunch at t the Zuma restau- rant, just five minnutes’ walk from the he crime scene.
It can now be reported that f our ur people, including an al l eged Romanian an escort and her son, n, are on trial on suspiicion of involvement. .
They are accused d of being members of the “supporting cast” t” to the alleged bur- urglars, rather than carrying out the raids themselves. Timothy Cray QC, prosecuting, said: “We say that the four defendants were part of the support team .” The alleged burglars cannot be named for legal reasons. Mr Cray added: “The three burglaries netted big money –in round figures some £26 million worth of property was stolen, that was mainly in some fabulous jewellery and in cold, hard cash.”
The burglary on the palatial home near Kensington Palace that Ms Ecclestone shares with husband Jay Rutland, took place on Dec 13. Mr Cray said Ms Eccles tone’ s security guards missed the men coming on to the property, adding: “The house is just so big that the guys didn’t realise the burglary was going on until it was well underway.” The prosecution allege that Alexandru Stan, 49, Maria Mester, 47, Sorin Marcovici, 53, and Emil Bogdan Savastru, 30, were involved, at various times, in the conspiracy to burgle the homes. Mr Cray said the plot “looked to have worked” until police arrested Savastru at Heathrow on Jan 30, when he was in possession of a Tag watch stolen from the second burglary burglary, and a Louis .Vuitton Vuitton bag identical to one taken i in the third raid.
Savastru w was likened by the prosecutor prose to the Harry E Enfield character “Loadsamo samoney” when he and an alle alleged burglar atte attempted to spend £ 8,985 in cash on Lo Louis Vuitton clothing.
All four defendants are charged w with conspiracy to burgl burgle the three homes, as we well as individual conspir conspiracy counts. They all de deny criminal involvem involvement. The trial is expe expected to last fo for up to six weeks.