the times | Saturday November 14 2020 2GM 5
News
Will Humphries
Southwest Correspondent
Edmund James, 98,
has appealed for the
picture’s return
Mother and son ‘in £25m Ecclestone raid’
One of the last surviving Spitfire pilots
of the Second World War has spoken of
his heartbreak at the theft of a picture
of the aircraft he flew signed by former
and fallen comrades.
Edmund James, 98, said that the pho-
to had pride of place alongside his war
medals and was a reminder of the
friends he lost during the war.
Police have launched an investi-
gation after it was allegedly stolen
following a pre-arranged visit by some-
one who was carrying out
work for him.
Dr James, of Fal-
mouth, Cornwall, has
appealed for its return.
The former flight
lieutenant told The
Packet: “I was so an-
gry. The picture was
signed by my friends.
Former Spitfire pilot’s picture
signed by comrades is stolen
Some of whom were killed and didn’t
get through. I would really like to have
it returned.
“It used to hang on a hook in the
study, for many decades. Whoever took
it had piled up books to fill in the gap in
the hope I wouldn’t notice.”
Dr James volunteered to join the
RAF at the age of 17. While he was too
late to fight in the Battle of Britain, he
was based at Biggin Hill and saw action
over France during and after D-Day.
He said: “At 17, 18, 19 or 20 you don’t
think of it as unnerving but as exciting.
I enjoyed it in a way. I know I lost a lot
of friends at the time, but it helps
if it’s what you wanted to do.
I wanted to be a pilot as I
was inspired by Biggles.”
PC Paul Stevenson, of
Devon and Cornwall
police, said: “We are
just trying to do every-
thing we can do to just
get it back for him.
“We don’t want to
punish the person who
took it, he [Dr James] just
wants it back.”ing outal-
sof friends a
if it’s wh
I wan
wasD
p
ju
th
ge
“
pun
ttook ipwants itA mother and her son formed part of a
burglary gang that stole jewellery and
money from the homes of Tamara
Ecclestone, the Chelsea football man-
ager Frank Lampard and the late owner
of Leicester City FC, a court was told.
The burglary at Ms Ecclestone’s
London home was described as one of
the biggest in British history. Four
people — branded the “supporting
cast” of burglars who took £26 million
in jewels, cash and watches from the
homes of celebrities — are on trial.
Alexandru Stan, Sorin Marcovici,
Maria Mester and her son Bogdan
Savastru are accused of helping the in-
truders to raid the homes of Ms Eccle-
stone, Lampard and his TV presenter
wife Christine Lampard, and the family
of the late Leicester City owner Vichai
Srivaddhanaprabha.
On December 1 cuff-links, a clock
and two watches, valued in total at
about £60,000, were taken from the
Lampards’ home in Chelsea.
Nine days later at the London family
home of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who
died in a helicopter crash in October
2018, £1 million of goods was stolen.
On December 13 a gang broke into
the home of Ms Ecclestone, the
daughter of Bernie Ecclestone, the
former chief executive of Formula One
motor racing, while she was taking a
Christmas holiday in Lapland with her
partner, Jay Rutland, and their
daughter, Sophia.
A “staggering” £25 million of
jewellery and luxury items was
taken, the court was told.
Detectives uncovered
CCTV footage, phone
records, Oyster card transac-
tions and other data that
showed how the gang had
worked together.
Timothy Cray, QC, for
the prosecution, said:
“Every star needs a
supporting cast and
we allege that this is
how these defend-
ants stand to the bur-
glars.
“They were there to
help with matters such as
accommodation, trans-
port, communication — fitting round
the burglars before, during and after the
break-ins.”
Lawyers for the defendants claim that
the accused were unaware they were
part of a conspiracy to carry out burgla-
ries. Ms Mester was a “call girl” who had
been used as a “decoy” by the burglars,
Isleworth crown court was told.
Ms Mester, who flew to Britain from
Milan three days before the second
burglary, and Mr Marcovici helped the
gang at the Srivaddhanaprabha house-
hold, Mr Cray said. “They ransacked
the five floors, including attempts to
force safes, one of which they did man-
age to break into. They got away with
£1 million in property, including Patek
Philippe watches and around €400,
in cash.”
On the night of the Ecclestone burg-
lary, Mr Cray said: “The security guards
present did not see the men enter
through the back garden. Such was the
size of the house they were unaware
that a burglary was in progress until a
late stage, by which time a huge haul of
jewellery had been taken.”
When Mr Savastru was arrested at
Heathrow on January 30, as he was
about to leave Britain, he was found
with a Tag Heuer watch and a Louis
Vuitton bag that were identical to those
taken in the second burglary.
Mr Cray said that when Ms Mester
was arrested the next day, as she
arrived in Britain from Milan,
she was wearing stolen ear-
rings. Investigators who
trawled her social media
found that she had posted
pictures of herself wearing
a necklace that is said to
have been stolen in one
of the break-ins.
Glenn Smith, for the
defence, said: “For
now consider the pro-
fessional nature of
the gang that carried
out these offences.
Now consider Ms
Mester, she’s loud,
she’s not discreet,
she’s an emotional
volcano. Miles away
from the international
jewel thief. She is a call
girl, she worked for thatweek in London. She was in London for
nothing but a good time. She was very
well paid for it, €46,000.”
Mr Marcovici, 52, of Romford, east
London, denies conspiracy to burgle.
Ms Mester, 47, denies conspiracy to
burgle, conspiracy to commit money
laundering and conspiracy to conceal
criminal property. Mr Stan, 49, of
Harrow, northwest London, denies
conspiracy to burgle. Mr Savastru, 29, of
Bethnal Green, east London, denies
conspiracy to burgle, conspiracy to
commit money laundering and con-
spiracy to conceal criminal property.
The trial continues.John Simpson Crime Correspondent
Sorin Marcovici,
above, Maria
Mester with son
Bogdan and the
home of Tamara
Ecclestone,
below left