Scotland Yard imagine the thieves behind a heist that noticed £4.2m diamonds swapped for pebbles have hyperlinks to suspected Russian gangsters and are doubtlessly seasoned criminals.
Lulu Lakatos, 60, had posed as a gemmologist known as ‘Anna’ to rearrange an inspection of the seven diamond-studded rings with Boodles boss Nicholas Wainwright – supposedly to worth them for rich Russian shoppers.
Whereas Lakatos was jailed for five-and-a-half years earlier this week, the 2 feminine associates additionally believed to have been concerned within the seize, in addition to the £4.2m diamonds, stay lacking.
Right this moment, the chief investigating officer says he believes Lakatos and her fellow worldwide thieves have labored on heists at the very least as soon as earlier than, and have hyperlinks with suspected Russian gangsters.
Performing Detective Sergeant William Man, the person heading up the chase for the 2 get-away ladies who stay undiscovered after the heist, says police have intel on at the very least one earlier job the gang had undertaken.
He advised the Instances of one other heist in Europe: ‘We all know one earlier job has been confirmed. A case is being constructed in the mean time.
‘From the one they had been brazen sufficient to do right here you would not suppose it was a one-off. We predict there is a greater image, doubtlessly a hyperlink to Russians.’
Lulu Lakatos, 60, (proper) was jailed for greater than 5 years, however her two feminine accomplices (pictured left) and the £4.2m diamonds haven’t but been discovered
After being caught, Lakatos (pictured in a mugshot) claimed Anna was her youthful sister, Liliana, who had confessed to utilizing Lulu’s passport to commit the crime months earlier than she died in a automobile crash, aged 49, in Romania in October 2019
CCTV footage exhibits the second Lakatos swiped £4.2million value of gems beneath the noses of workers at London society jeweller Boodles – as she was jailed for five-and-a-half years for the Ocean’s Eleven-style heist.
On the essential second, she organized for a phone name to take Mr Wainwright away and put a padlocked purse containing the diamonds into her purse in entrance of one other worker, as proven on the shop’s CCTV.
Diamond knowledgeable Emma Barton instantly challenged her, at which level the Romanian pulled off an astonishing sleight of hand, swapping the jewel-laden purse with a exact duplicate weighed down with pebbles.
Ms Barton raised suspicions however the gems – believed to have been hid in a hidden compartment – weren’t discovered within the Lakatos’ purse, as she used the pretence of poor English to recommend a misunderstanding.
She left the Bond Road retailer the place 4 accomplices had been ready exterior earlier than placing the gems into the purse of an unknown lady. She and the worldwide gang of grifters fled the UK for France in lower than three hours.
When the purse in Boodles’ protected was opened the next day, inside had been seven small backyard pebbles, and the actual diamonds have by no means been recovered.
After being caught, Lakatos claimed Anna was her youthful sister, Liliana, who had confessed to utilizing Lulu’s passport to commit the crime months earlier than she died in a automobile crash, aged 49, in Romania in October 2019.
Prosecutor Oliver Mosley mentioned: ‘This was a conspiracy of the very best sophistication. It’s believed to be the very best worth particular person theft offence of this type ever dedicated on this nation.’
Police imagine the heist concerned six accomplices, two of whom – Christophe Stankovic and Mikhael Jovanovic – are already behind bars, having been convicted final 12 months.
‘Anna’ left the shop shortly after midday and was met by Stankovic and Jovanovic’s two feminine accomplices. CCTV footage exhibits her dropping the diamonds into considered one of their purses earlier than returning to the Willow Stroll pub.
She and the confederate then travelled to King’s Cross and caught a Eurostar practice to Paris.
In the meantime, Stankovic and Jovanovic and the 2 ladies hailed separate taxis and requested to be taken to the Gants Hill roundabout in east London.
It could have been the right crime, however for painstaking work by Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad who traced Stankovic via the rent automobile’s quantity plate and Jovanovic through his Eurostar tickets. It is unclear what led them to Lakatos.
Detective Man, of Flying Squad, refused to substantiate the place the gang’s earlier heist had occurred, or what was stolen.
Lulu Lakatos is seen bundling a jewel-laden purse into her purse – as she is challenged by Boodles diamond knowledgeable Emma Barton
Diamond knowledgeable Emma Barton instantly challenged her, at which level the Romanian pulled off an astonishing sleight of hand, swapping the jewel-laden purse with a exact duplicate weighed down with pebbles
Lakatos sobbed within the dock after she was discovered responsible of conspiracy to steal on or earlier than March 10 2016 by a jury at Southwark Crown Courtroom by a majority of 10 to at least one after 9 hours and 19 minutes of deliberations.
Pictured: Lakatos leaving the premises
‘You’ve been convicted of conspiring to steal diamonds, the jury having rejected your defence it was your deceased sister and never you who perpetrated the offence,’ Choose Emma Goodall QC mentioned.
‘This was a extremely subtle and audacious offence by way of planning, danger and reward, an offence in respect of which you performed an integral position,’ the decide advised Lakatos.
‘You spent nearly an hour within the Boodles London showroom exploiting their belief, which allowed you to have interaction in a brazen deception and thru sleight of hand you stole seven diamonds valued at £4.2 million.’
Lakatos was wished in Switzerland for an nearly an identical plot, the place an envelope containing 400,000 euros was switched for a replica full of paper.
She had arrived in London the day earlier than the theft and was captured on CCTV with Georgeta Danila, 53, coming into the Cricklewood Lodge Lodge in north London earlier than making a reconnaissance journey to Boodles with Christophe Stankovic and Mickael Jovanovic.
Danila waited within the Willow Stroll Wetherspoon pub in Victoria with a change of garments for Lakatos, who went to Boodles disguised in a protracted darkish coat, brimmed hat and lengthy scarf.
Mr Wainwright escorted her down a glass spiral staircase into the assembly room with Ms Barton, the place Lakatos examined and weighed the diamonds.
The Boodles chairman mentioned he was ‘watching her like a hawk’ as she wrapped the diamonds individually in pre-cut tissue paper and positioned them inside opaque bins, which had been put right into a zippable purse-like bag that was padlocked shut.
He advised the court docket: ‘Anna was most unattractive, she was chubby, she was dressed most terribly, she was carrying the type of factor a Russian dancer would put on.
‘She had huge boobs and you might see her cleavage, it was most unattractive.’ He added, ‘I used to be watching her like a hawk,’ however mentioned he was distracted by a name from the faux Russian purchaser.’
The second Lakatos produced a duplicate purse from her purse, which she later handed over to Ms Barton. Her bag was examined by the jewels weren’t discovered
Among the gems that Lakatos stole within the audacious theft in central London – together with a 3.03 carat ring value greater than £1m
The pebbles that Lakatos had used to crush an an identical bag to the one containing the jems, which she handed to workers
The duplicate padlocked bag utilized by the gang – who had been in a position to spirit the actual jewels away earlier than being tracked down
Lakatos exterior Boodles on the day of the heist the place she switched the padlocked bag with a replica one already saved inside her purse containing seven pebbles of the identical weight because the diamonds
She stayed in Cricklewood earlier than the theft, after which fled the nation having dumped her disguise in a Victoria JD Wetherspoon pub rest room
Ms Barton mentioned Anna put the locked purse into her personal purse when Mr Wainwright went upstairs to take a name from ‘Alexander’.
‘She watched Nicholas stroll up the steps and as quickly as his again was turned on the spiral staircase, she grabbed the bag and caught it in her purse,’ she mentioned, giving proof.
‘I mentioned, ‘no, no, no, you possibly can’t do this. Please take the diamonds out of your purse now. I’ve to have the ability to see the diamonds always’.
‘In English, she replied, ‘It is OK, don’t fret, there’s nothing to fret about’.’
Mr Wainwright was advised what she had performed when he returned and he demanded ‘Anna’ empty her bag – however the stones had been hid and she or he was allowed to go away.
After leaving the shop, Lakatos switched the diamonds to the bag of considered one of two unknown younger ladies earlier than discarding her disguise and leaving London for France on the Eurostar with Danila.
Nicholas Wainwright, Chairman of Boodles, which was hit by a £4.2million diamond theft
Later Mr Wainwright listened in on his telephone as one of many Boodles workers members opened the bag and gasped: ‘Oh my God, it is pebbles’.
Stankovic and Jovanovic left with the 2 youthful ladies in a rented automobile via the Channel Tunnel.
Each males had been jailed for 3 years and eight months after pleading responsible to conspiracy to steal, whereas Danila was acquitted after telling a jury she had no concept she was concerned within the crime.
Ioana Nedelcu, defending Lakatos, mentioned the masterminds have by no means been caught.
Romanian-born Lakatos, from Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, has three earlier convictions for theft in France.
Lakatos was a part of a gang of grifters who had been travelling Europe attempting to tear of banks and jewellers along with her superb sleight of hand.
Her sister Liliana walked off with the Euro 400,000 on 15 October 2014 from AEK Financial institution in Oberhofen in Bern, Switzerland.
Liliana switched an envelope containing eight bundles of euros for the same envelope containing nugatory paper whereas AEK govt Reta Hartmann was distracted by a phone-call throughout their assembly in a Swiss financial institution vault.
Swiss police later recognized the girl who swapped the envelopes as a Lakatos however for some purpose she was by no means arrested or charged.
Flying Squad Performing Detective Sergeant William Man mentioned the investigation remains to be ongoing to establish others concerned within the heist.
He mentioned: ‘This was an audacious theft, carried out in plain view of skilled {and professional} workers at a famend jewellers.
‘The meticulous planning and execution of this theft reveals to me that these concerned had been extremely expert criminals.’
Senior Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Thomas Quick added: ‘Lulu Lakatos’ actions had been felony. She performed an integral half in an audacious swoop that may very well be likened to a scene from a Hollywood movie.’
