Diamond heist suspect in court over £ 4.2m movie- style sting

A WOMAN has been remanded in custody after she appeared in court in connection with a £ 4.2m diamonds theft from a luxury jeweller.

Georgeta Danila was charged with conspiracy to steal allegedly for her part in the 2016 Boodles heist in the exclusive London district of Mayfair. It follows her being extradited from France last month.

The 52- year- old defendant is alleged to have been part of an international group of criminals who posed as diamond buyers in a scheme which has been likened by police to the plot of a Hollywood film.

The diamonds, which have an estimated value of about £ 4.2m, were allegedly swapped for pebbles by one of the thieves posing as a gemologist appraising the precious stones at the New Bond Street store.

A padlocked bag containing the fake diamonds was returned to the safe, but the theft was discovered the following day when staff at Boodles became suspicious.

Danila appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court yesterday wearing dark trousers and a pale blue jacket over a beige top.

With the help of a French interpreter, she gave her name and date of birth before pleading not guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to steal from Boodles between February 15 and March 11, 2016, along with three named individuals and others who are not known.

Danila dabbed her eyes with a tissue during the brief hearing, when she was remanded in custody by Judge Martin Griffith ahead of a further case management hearing on September 1.