Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Woman Jailed For Swapping Diamonds Worth 4.2 Million Pounds For Pebbles

Woman Jailed For Swapping Diamonds Worth 4.2 Million Pounds For Pebbles

A London Court jury found her guilty of conspiracy to steal. The judge called the heist "highly sophisticated and audacious", involving "brazen deception".
A jewel thief was jailed for more than five years in Britain on Wednesday for stealing millions of pounds worth of diamonds by switching them with pebbles in a daring sleight of hand.

Lulu Lakatos, 60, posed as a gem expert under the alias "Anna" to gain access to the jewels worth a total of £4.2 million ($5.8 million, 5.0 million euros).

She claimed she had been sent to appraise the gems by a wealthy Russian client before swapping them for the worthless stones.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court in south London found her guilty of conspiracy to steal. The judge called the heist "highly sophisticated and audacious", involving "brazen deception".

Prosecutors said the theft of the seven diamonds -- including one worth £2.2 million -- from a luxury family jewellers in London's upmarket Mayfair district was the biggest heist of its kind ever committed in Britain.

The real diamonds, which London police have said were stolen by Lakatos in cooperation with an international organised gang, have never been recovered in the wake of the March 2016 theft.

Romanian-born Lakatos, from the Saint-Brieuc region of northwest France, arrived in London a day before the theft where she met with two other members of the gang.

The trio then made a reconnaissance trip to Boodles' jewellers on Bond Street in Mayfair.

On the day of the theft, the court heard Lakatos had examined and weighed the diamonds, wrapping them in tissue paper and placing them in boxes in a locked purse.

Security camera footage from the family firm's basement showed the moment Lakatos switched the purse for a duplicate in her handbag using what the court heard was "sleight of hand".

The practised thief left the jewellers and switched the diamonds into the handbag of an unknown woman.

She then changed her clothes in a pub toilet and made her escape for France on the Eurostar cross-Channel train service, less than three hours after committing the crime.

The conviction follows Lakatos' arrest in France on a European arrest warrant.

She had three previous convictions for theft in France and was wanted in Switzerland for a similar heist where an envelope containing 400,000 euros was switched for a copy holding worthless paper.

In her defence at trial in London, Lakatos claimed she had been arrested in a case of mistaken identity and her younger sister -- who died in a car crash in October 2018 -- had used a passport in her name to travel to Britain to commit the crime.

The two men who accompanied Lakatos, Christophe Stankovic and Mickael Jovanovic, were jailed for three years and eight months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal.

A jewel thief was jailed for more than five years in Britain on Wednesday for stealing millions of pounds worth of diamonds by switching them with pebbles in a daring sleight of hand.

Lulu Lakatos, 60, posed as a gem expert under the alias "Anna" to gain access to the jewels worth a total of £4.2 million ($5.8 million, 5.0 million euros).

She claimed she had been sent to appraise the gems by a wealthy Russian client before swapping them for the worthless stones.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court in south London found her guilty of conspiracy to steal. The judge called the heist "highly sophisticated and audacious", involving "brazen deception".

Prosecutors said the theft of the seven diamonds -- including one worth £2.2 million -- from a luxury family jewellers in London's upmarket Mayfair district was the biggest heist of its kind ever committed in Britain.

The real diamonds, which London police have said were stolen by Lakatos in cooperation with an international organised gang, have never been recovered in the wake of the March 2016 theft.

Romanian-born Lakatos, from the Saint-Brieuc region of northwest France, arrived in London a day before the theft where she met with two other members of the gang.

The trio then made a reconnaissance trip to Boodles' jewellers on Bond Street in Mayfair.

On the day of the theft, the court heard Lakatos had examined and weighed the diamonds, wrapping them in tissue paper and placing them in boxes in a locked purse.

Security camera footage from the family firm's basement showed the moment Lakatos switched the purse for a duplicate in her handbag using what the court heard was "sleight of hand".

The practised thief left the jewellers and switched the diamonds into the handbag of an unknown woman.

She then changed her clothes in a pub toilet and made her escape for France on the Eurostar cross-Channel train service, less than three hours after committing the crime.

The conviction follows Lakatos' arrest in France on a European arrest warrant.

She had three previous convictions for theft in France and was wanted in Switzerland for a similar heist where an envelope containing 400,000 euros was switched for a copy holding worthless paper.

In her defence at trial in London, Lakatos claimed she had been arrested in a case of mistaken identity and her younger sister -- who died in a car crash in October 2018 -- had used a passport in her name to travel to Britain to commit the crime.

The two men who accompanied Lakatos, Christophe Stankovic and Mickael Jovanovic, were jailed for three years and eight months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×