London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 25, 2026

Celebrity burglary trial: Woman arrested wearing Ecclestone earrings

Celebrity burglary trial: Woman arrested wearing Ecclestone earrings

A woman linked to burglaries on three celebrities' homes was wearing Tamara Ecclestone's rose gold earrings when she was arrested, a court has heard.

The socialite lost jewellery worth about £25m in the raid last December - including the £3,000 Noa earrings.

Bodycam footage shown to Isleworth Crown Court showed Maria Mester sporting the high-end accessories when she was detained at Stansted Airport.

She denies conspiracy to burgle and money laundering.

The court heard Ms Mester, 47, and her 30-year-old son Emil Bogdan Savastru were part of a "support cast" in the plot, which also targeted Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and former Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

A group of burglars - who cannot be named for legal reasons - is said to have committed the raids.

Ms Ecclestone's home was hit just hours after she, her husband, her daughter and dog, left the UK on 13 December for a Christmas holiday in Lapland.

Prosecutor Timothy Cray QC told jurors the earrings were among nearly 400 items" taken from Ms Ecclestone's "Vault room" and specially commissioned jewellery cabinet.

Ms Mester was stopped at Stansted Airport on 31 January and confronted about the earrings in police interview.

She declined to comment and strenuously denied involvement in any burglaries, instead complimenting a detective on his "lovely blue eyes", the court heard.

When shown photos of her making transactions at Harrods and leaving Heathrow Airport for Belgrade five days after Ms Ecclestone's home was hit, Ms Mester answered no comment, adding that she "travels a lot".


The homes of Frank and Christine Lampard, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Tamara Ecclestone and her husband were all broken into last December


Mr Cray told the court Ms Ecclestone's was the third target in a series of raids - with the first being Frank and Christine Lampard's home on 1 December.

An intruder alarm was activated as two rose gold ladies watches, a set of gold cufflinks, a white gold Cartier pocket watch and a Mia Lia gold necklace, worth a total of about £60,000, were taken.

On 10 December, Mr Cray said, two burglars "ransacked" Mr Srivaddhanaprabha's Knightsbridge home, which had remained untouched since his death in 2018.

Seven Patek Philippe watches - with a combined value of approximately £600,000 - and €400,000 in cash were taken, the court heard.

The raiders also took a collection of Thai Buddha pendants and a Tag Heuer smartwatch worth £1,500.

Mr Cray said Mr Savastru had been wearing the same watch when he was arrested at Heathrow airport on 30 January - a day before his mother was apprehended.

He was also in possession of a Louis Vuitton bag bought by Ms Ecclestone's husband Jay Rutland in 2011, the court heard.

Mr Savastru's flatmate, Gergo Munzenreider, said he was told a Louis Vuitton bag in his room was a gift from friends.

Ms Mester and Mr Savastru are accused alongside Alexandru Stan, 49, and Sorin Marcovici, 52.

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Conservative Party Suspends Former Electoral Candidate Following Undercover Investigation
Actors and Writers Condemn British Anti Terror Legislation Targeting Activist Groups and Free Speech
Central Bank and Treasury Monitor Inflation Risks as International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast
Storm Boelo Batters British Isles With Eighty Mile Per Hour Winds Causing Widespread Power Outages
British Intelligence Services and Technology Firms Partner to Counter Artificial Intelligence Enabled Cybersecurity Threats
UK Consumer Confidence Falls at Fastest Rate Since Brexit Vote as Cost of Living Intensifies
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Landmark Autumn Budget Focused on Devolution and Fiscal Rules
Northern Ireland Executive Ministers Reach Consensus on Shared Economic Development Priorities to Stimulate Regional Growth in Belfast
Department for Business and Trade Finalizes Conditional Support Package for Advanced Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities in Newport
Welsh Government Unveils Regional Industrial Development Strategy to Attract Green Energy Investment to South Wales Manufacturing Hubs
Foreign Secretary David Lammy Concludes Diplomatic Mission to European Capital Cities to Strengthen Post-Brexit Defense Cooperation
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Regulatory Compliance Standards for Water Utilities Across England
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Wage Growth Stabilization and Resilient Employment Figures Across the United Kingdom
Scottish Government and Trade Union Representatives Reach Tentative Pay Agreement for Public Sector Transport Workers in Edinburgh
National Health Service England Announces Emergency Capital Funding Allocation to Reduce Winter Emergency Department Bottlenecks
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Signals Cautious Approach to Interest Rate Reductions Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Treasury Officials Finalize Urgent Fiscal Adjustments Ahead of Upcoming National Budget
Tour de France Organizers Confirm Historic Grand Depart Featuring Edinburgh and Yorkshire Stages
National Cyber Security Centre Issues Urgent Alerts Following Global Security Vulnerability in Core Programming Software
Independent Energy Analysts Warn Great Britain Faces Highest Winter Power Tariffs in Europe
Major British Defense Contractors Commit to Delivering Forty Thousand New Apprenticeships and Training Placements
New Bradford Railway Station Infrastructure Project Approved to Transform Regional Transit Connectivity Across Northern England
Welsh Infrastructure Stakeholders Press Government for Accelerated Local Sourcing in Military and Uniform Manufacturing
Scottish Council Governance Crisis Triggers High-Court Legal Challenge Over Leadership Ouster Bid
High Street Bakery Chain Greggs Announces Major Factory Closures and Seven Hundred Job Cuts
Automotive Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover Advances Advanced Defense Technology Partnership with European Allies
Treasury and Bank of England Officials Signal Persistent Concern Over Inflation-Driven Interest Rate Path
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast While Issuing Inflation Warnings
National Health Service Leaders Warn of Severe Capacity Pressures as Early Winter Respiratory Infections Surge
Government Issues Emergency Resilience Guidance Advising All British Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Private Sector Growth Beats Expectations in October Driven by Resilient Services and Manufacturing
Barclays to Cut Five Thousand Jobs in Major Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Cost-Cutting Overhaul
Piper Tomahawk Aircraft Crash Near Drymen in Stirling Claims Two Lives as Investigators Deploy
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Jackdaw Gas Field Production After Ministerial Authorization
Government Injects One Hundred and Forty Million Pounds to Expand Urgent Care Ahead of Winter Crisis
Department of Health Warns Further Pay Rises Will Derail National Health Service Waiting List Targets
Major Environmental Emergency Declared in South Wales Following Aerospace Kerosene Spill
Tank Barrel Production Returns to Britain as Defence Contractors Accelerate Domestic Rearmament
Government Approves Controversial Jackdaw Gasfield Development in the North Sea
National Health Service Maternity Safety Review Condemned Over Flawed Artificial Intelligence Integration
Dozens of United Kingdom Government Services Taken Offline Amid Critical Software Vulnerability
Barclays Announces Five Thousand Job Cuts Citing Artificial Intelligence Productivity Gains
Treasury Relaxes Post-Financial Crisis Accountability Rules for City of London Executives
United Kingdom Government Issues Unprecedented Guidance Urging Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Consumer Inflation Accelerates to Eleven-Month High Driven by Transport Costs
United Kingdom Public Sector Net Debt Breaches Three Trillion Pounds Ahead of Autumn Budget
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Commits Fifty Million Pounds to Establish Regional Artificial Intelligence Innovation Clusters
Ofgem Directs Major Energy Suppliers to Expand Vulnerable Household Support Funds Ahead of Winter Heating Season
Home Office and National Police Chiefs Council Unveil New Intelligence-Led Strategy to Tackle Organised Immigration Crime Networks
First Minister John Swinney Secures Scottish Parliament Approval for Comprehensive Climate and Green Energy Infrastructure Strategy
×