London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jun 10, 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
Farmers Warn of Crop Losses Following Months of Unseasonal Rainfall
Civil Aviation Authority Launches Review of Regional Airport Operations
Met Office Issues Heat-Health Alert Across Parts of England
National Grid Introduces New Measures to Protect Winter Energy Supply
Northern England Rail Upgrades Receive Additional Government Funding
Wales Advances Green Hydrogen Strategy to Decarbonize Heavy Industry
UK Expands Recruitment Incentives to Address Shortage of STEM Teachers
High Court Opens Door to Climate Liability Claims Against Major Industrial Emitters
Police Service of Northern Ireland Investigates Major Personnel Data Breach
Defense Ministry Overhauls Procurement System to Accelerate AUKUS Submarine Program
Net Migration Remains Above Government Expectations, New Data Shows
UK and Scottish Governments Agree Framework for Expanded North Sea Wind Development
UK Treasury Launches New Tax Incentives to Boost AI and Semiconductor Investment
Bank of England Signals Continued Caution on Interest Rate Cuts
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Digital Modernization Plan Centered on AI Integration
Nebius Opens Major Robotics and Physical AI Laboratory in London
Bank of England Data Shows Strong Rise in New Mortgage Approvals
Network Rail Completes Landmark Upgrade of Severn Tunnel Rail Infrastructure
East West Rail Passenger Services Between Oxford and Milton Keynes Set for December Launch
GlaxoSmithKline Reportedly Pursues £7 Billion Acquisition of US Cancer Drug Developer Nuvalent
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates Likely to Remain Unchanged Despite Energy Market Risks
NHS Trusts Launch Job-Cutting Programmes as Financial Pressures Intensify Across England
More Than 130 Labour MPs Urge Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
Keir Starmer Orders Technology Firms to Introduce Smartphone Nudity Controls for Under-18s
UK Unveils £400 Million National AI Supercomputer Fund and New Economics Institute
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
×