How the case of Britain's biggest ever home burglary was solved.
The intruders fled past him, scattering tinsel and Christmas decorations in their wake. One threw a fire extinguisher as they escaped through a small window with their multimillion-pound haul.
But he remembered a distinctive bridge with arches. This allowed detectives to narrow the search down to the suburb of St Mary Cray and begin a CCTV trawl of the area.Opposite a police station stood a budget hotel called TLK Apartments. Det Con Thomas Grimshaw followed his hunch that he should pay it a visit and was told about the dick pic.The reception staff had taken a photocopy of the sender’s photo ID when he had checked in. His name was Jugoslav Jovanovic, a 23-year-old Italian national.
His home had been left untouched since his death and had become a place for prayer and mourning for his family when they visited London. Seven high-value Patek Philippe watches were stolen along with €400,000 in cash. Detectives looked back at the CCTV and saw a familiar face - Jovanovic. On the 18 December, both men left the country - Jovanovic to Milan, Vukovic to Belgrade from Heathrow. He was with a woman called Maria Mester.
It was clear, too, that the burglars had used public transport and black cabs to get around London, blending in as ordinary people or tourists. Jovanovic and a man were spotted getting off a train. Later, detectives would discover this man to be Vukovic. A short time afterwards, the pair were seen clutching cups of coffee as they left the station with two further unidentified men.
An appeal through EuroPol helped identify the final two suspected burglars: Italian nationals Alessandro Donati and Alessandro Maltese. Data showed the pair had flown into London together on 9 December and left on 16 December on board EasyJet flights. He was carrying a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to Jay Rutland and a Tag Heuer watch belonging to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
The day after the raid on Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s home, Jovanovic made a booking for five people at a sushi restaurant near Harrods. The bill for the meal was £760. In November 2020, Marcovici, Stan, Savastru and Mester all went on trial at Isleworth Crown Court charged with conspiracy to burgle. Stan told the court he had been asked by a friend to help out some Italians who were new to London and needed help with a car and getting around. He had met them for a coffee and exchanged numbers.
None of the four were said to have been present inside the homes that were burgled, but the prosecution’s case was that they had each allegedly helped the gang in some way.But that wasn’t the end of the story.He told reporters he was now homeless and had lost everything. During the “Beast from the East” winter storms of 2021 he had ended up staying inside Marcovici’s car.The police took Mester and her son Savastru to court on other matters.
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