Cleaner and her son in court over £50m gems raid at Tamara Ecclestone’s home
A MOTHER and son appeared in court yesterday charged over an audacious £50 million jewellery and cash raid at the London mansion of Formula 1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone.
Cleaner Maria Mester, 47, and bar worker Emil-Bogdan Savastru, 29, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to commit burglary on December 13.
They were remanded in custody until February 28 when they will appear at Isleworth Crown Court.
All of Ecclestone’s jewellery was reportedly taken in the raid at her £70 million gated mansion in Kensington while she, her husband Jay Rutland, 38, and their five-year-old daughter Sophia were abroad for their Christmas holiday.
In a further blow to the 35year-old heiress, The Mail on Sunday can today reveal that Ms Ecclestone has also been forced to close both her chain of blow-dry salons and her children’s skincare company.
She opened the first of her six Show Dry shops in 2015, which aimed to capitalise on the Californian trend for salons offering a relaxing hair treatment. But, at £38 per blow dry, the idea did not find a market in the UK.
Yesterday, customers received a text message telling them that the salons had ceased trading.
Friends say Ms Ecclestone is upset by the failure.
One said: ‘Tamara thought she could be the market leader of the quick blow dry in the UK. She has spent a lot of time in LA and saw how successful they are over there, but sadly it didn’t catch on over here.’
The first Show Dry opened in Notting Hill, West London, before the firm added another in Wimbledon.
There were also four concessions in Harvey Nichols stores in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Dublin.
Each chair was kitted out with an iPad, while customers were offered a chauffeur service so that they didn’t ruin their hair on the way home.
Speaking previously about the business, Ms Ecclestone said: ‘As a working wife and mother, I know how hard it is to look and feel great when you don’t have much time.
‘Show Dry aims to provide a slick, time-efficient service that allows all women the time to feel fabulous no matter how much time you don’t have.’
Fifi & Friends, a children’s skincare range that Ms Ecclestone promoted heavily on Instagram with her daughter, has also shut. Confirming the news, a spokesman said: ‘Sadly the businesses have closed following the end of the arrangement with the agency which managed and operated them.
‘Efforts had been made over the past weeks to try to avoid the closures. Sadly, these efforts have been unsuccessful.’
It is not known how many jobs will be lost but the spokesman said all staff have received a fair redundancy package.