Tamara Ecclestone burglary: Italian gang jailed for £26m celebrity raids

An international gang of jewellery thieves have been jailed for a series of high-end raids which netted burglars £26m worth of luxury stolen goods.

The Italian trio were also convicted of raids on the west London homes of Frank Lampard and the late Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

They were jailed for 28 years in total.

At Isleworth Crown Court Jovanovic, 24, was jailed for nine years for conspiracy to burgle and a further two years for money laundering.

Donati, 45, and Maltese, 44, were each jailed for eight years and nine months after being convicted of conspiracy to burgle.

Judge Martin Edmunds QC said the three burglaries were each "immensely serious".

During the first 13 days of December 2019, an estimated £26m worth of items were taken from the west London homes of Ms Ecclestone, Mr Lampard and Mr Srivaddhanaprabha.

Most of the stolen jewellery and valuable watches have never been recovered.

Prosecutor Timothy Cray QC said the gang "planned and executed the highest value burglaries that have ever come to light in the United Kingdom."

"The burglaries involved careful research and reconnaissance. In particular, the victims were deliberately targeted because of their wealth and public profiles," he added.

"The execution of the second and third burglaries was ruthless. The properties were ransacked.

"Safes and secure cabinets were broken open. The presence of at least three burglars inside the properties would have been a significant physical threat to anyone who disturbed them."