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Police officer Ben Mahoney reports on the case in front of the courthouse
Photo: Yui Mok / dpa
From Tamara Ecclestone alone, daughter of the former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, they stole jewelry worth at least 25 million pounds: Three men from the so-called "ghost" gang have been sentenced to long prison terms in London, they had 2019 with them caused a stir among celebrities in a series of burglaries.
The court has now imposed prison sentences of eight years and nine months against two men aged 44 and 45, so a 24-year-old has to be imprisoned for eleven years.
The men had previously confessed their involvement in the series of burglaries in December 2019.
In addition to the 37-year-old daughter of Formula 1 founder Bernie Ecclestone, the victims also included ex-soccer star Frank Lampard.
In Tamara Ecclestone's house, the gang stole jewels and valuables.
According to the police, the case is considered to be the most valuable loot in English criminal history.
They took tens of thousands of pounds worth of items with them at the home of ex-soccer star Lampard.
Extremely camera shy
Valuable clocks, Buddha pendants and hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash were stolen from a property that once belonged to football club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (Leicester City).
However, Srivaddhanaprabha had died before the break-in.
The gang had left almost no traces at the crime scenes, and most of their prey is missing.
"They moved through London like ghosts," said Detective Constable Andy Payne of the London Police Department to Sky News.
The burglars always made sure to move in the shade and look at the ground when they passed surveillance cameras.
They covered their tracks by using unregistered cell phones and paying in cash.
The starting point of the investigation was only the 15-second blurred recording of a surveillance camera in the garden of Villa Ecclestone.
Suspect reportedly fled to Belgrade
The gang's investigators found out about the gang, among other things, by meticulously sifting through more than 2000 hours of footage from surveillance cameras.
They also spoke to around 1,000 taxi drivers, one of whom finally remembered the suspects and gave the decisive clue, and later DNA traces from the crime scenes could also be assigned to the men.
The British investigators had followed the intruders to Italy, where they were arrested.
They were then extradited to the UK.
A fourth suspect is still on the run.
He is said to be in the Serbian capital Belgrade.
The burglars themselves felt "inviolable," said Policeman Payne.
They reportedly celebrated the successful raids with dinner at a luxury restaurant and shopping at Harrods.
The victims of the break-ins reported in court on Monday before the sentence was pronounced about the psychological consequences of the break-ins.
Tamara Ecclestone complained of anxiety.
You can no longer trust anyone.
Ex-soccer player Lampard said both he and his partner have suffered from insomnia since the break-in.
apr / dpa