Italian gang jailed after stealing more than £26 million in luxury goods from celebrity homes

A gang of jewellery thieves have been jailed after they stole more than £26 million in luxury goods and cash from three West London homes.

Jugsolav Jovanovic, 24, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to money laundering and was sentenced to 11 years in jail.

Alessandro Donati, 45, and Alessandro Maltese, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle and were both given sentences of eight years and nine months.

The trio burgled three residences in over a two week period December 2019, including the homes of heiress Tamara Ecclestone, footballer Frank Lampard and his wife Christine.

The home of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who was the chairman of Leicester City football club until his death in 2018, was also burgled.

Police described the thieves as moving like “shadows and ghosts” and said that all three men had congratulated detectives on being able to find them.

Most of the stolen valuables have never been recovered.

On December 1, Mr Lampard’s house in Kensington was robbed while the couple was out, with thieves taking £60,000 worth of goods.

In their victim impact statements, the couple said that since the crime they had trouble sleeping.

Christine said: “I am much more fearful of being alone in my own home. I am less trusting of visitors to the house and feel unsafe in my home.”

Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s home in Knightsbridge was burgled just nine days later.

The gang made off with £1 million worth of watches and cash, along with a collection of Thai Buddha pendants.

The family of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha were particularly affected by the crime, as the Thai billionaire’s home had been left undisturbed since his death in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in Leicester in 2018.

In his family’s statement, they said: “Our late father’s residence was a place of reflection and to pray. 

“We felt it was the strongest connection to him as he spent his last night there before his death. 

“Since the burglary, our sacred and special connection has been damaged and violated beyond repair.”

The thieves then targeted Tamara Ecclestone’s house on Palace Green where they escaped with items including precious stones, diamonds, watches and cash worth more than £26 million.

Ms Ecclestone and her husband Jay Rutland told the court that a number of items that had been taken were irreplaceable, including wedding gifts and presents given to them when their daughter was born.

Ms Ecclestone added that their daughter was affected by the crime, saying: “She won’t even go to the toilet without saying ‘Mummy, come with me’. 

“She talks about burglars now as well, which is really really hard. That’s the worst part, trying to pretend to her nothing actually did happen, and to try to make her feel the house is a safe space.”

Detective Constable Andrew Payne, from Central Specialist Crime said: “This story is comparable to what you will see in a Hollywood movie but unfortunately this was real life and involved real victims.

“Organised Crime Groups (OCNs) like this have intrinsic links to violence in London and we make no apology for tackling them. 

“This investigation has ultimately led to an OCN being disrupted and prevented them from carrying out further offences both in the UK and across Europe.”

Pictured top: Left to Right: Alessandro Donati, Alessandro Maltese and Jugsolav Jovanovic