There has never been such a series of burglaries in England!
After spectacular raids through the homes of celebrities, three men have been sentenced to long prison terms in London.
The professional burglars were among others with the daughter of Formula 1 founder Bernie Ecclestone (91), Tamara Ecclestone (37). Ex-soccer star Frank Lampard (43) also fell victim to them.
The thieves made big booty: In Tamara Ecclestone’s house alone, the gang is said to have stolen jewels and valuables worth around 29 million euros.
The gang had also broken into the home of England football legend Frank Lampard (coached at Chelsea until January 2021)Photo: dpa
At Lampard, the burglars took objects worth tens of thousands of euros. Valuable watches, Buddha followers and hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash were stolen from the property of the owner of Leicester City football club, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who previously died in a helicopter crash.
Ex-Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died in a helicopter crash three years agoPhoto: PAUL CHILDS / Action Images via Reuters
▶ ︎ According to the police, the case is considered to be the most valuable loot in English criminal history.
But: To this day, there is still no trace of the majority of the stolen goods!
Police found an open safe at Srivaddhanaprabha’s home after the break-inPhoto: Metropolitan Police / dpa
The gang also left next to no relevant traces at the crime scenes. Investigator Constable Andy Payne told Sky News: “They moved like ghosts through London.”
The burglars always made sure to move in the shade and look at the ground when they passed surveillance cameras.
They also covered their tracks by using unregistered cell phones and always paying in cash when shopping. According to Payne, the starting point of the investigation was only a 15-second blurred image from a surveillance camera in the garden of the Ecclestone mansion.
In the Ecclestone villa, the perpetrators only left two screwdrivers and a cell phone with an unregistered SIM cardPhoto: Metropolitan Police / dpa
The gang’s investigators finally found out about more than 2000 hours of footage from surveillance cameras, among other things, the police said.
They also spoke to around 1,000 taxi drivers. One of them could remember the men and finally gave the decisive clue. Later DNA traces from the crime scenes could also be assigned to the men.
The intruders themselves would have felt as “inviolable”, said Payne on. They reportedly celebrated the successful raids with dinner in a luxury restaurant and shopping at the glamorous Harrods department store.
Now life is over in the long run. A 24-year-old perpetrator was hired for eleven years on Monday. Two other men, aged 44 and 45, are imprisoned for eight years and nine months, respectively.