Diamonds proved to not be a girl’s best friend for an East Yorkshire woman who has been jailed after stealing more than £100,000 worth of diamonds, silver, gold and bespoke jewellery from a shop she managed.
Lucy Roberts, aged 39, of Mill Road, Swanland, admitted theft by an employee at Grimsby Crown Court and was sentenced to 28 months in prison. The offences took place over more than a year between 2017 and 2018. She was arrested at Heathrow Airport when she returned from a cruise during which she flaunted the stolen bling from the Daniella Draper store, in Beverley, in selfies she sent to former colleagues.
Staff had become suspicious of Roberts when she began to take jewellery home with her which she had claimed to them at the time was because she had work to do and was sorting stock for the workshop.
She handed her notice in after a year of managing the store. She later headed off on a cruise and her former colleagues knew she had not purchased the jewellery she was wearing in the photos sent back to them and informed the area manager.
Police were contacted and investigations found Roberts had made a number of fraudulent return transactions as well as falsifying stock takes. Officers carried out a search of her bedroom and found thousands of pounds worth of jewellery in boxes beneath the bed as well as in cupboards.
After an arrest warrant was issued, Roberts was detained by officers at Heathrow Airport where she was wearing a “substantial amount” of stolen jewellery. Body worn police footage reviewed by detectives later revealed Roberts had been removing jewellery in an attempt to dispose of it as she was escorted through the airport.
A search also discovered more jewellery which she had not purchased in her suitcase.
Roberts initially denied the allegations when interviewed by police, claiming she had borrowed some of the jewellery from one of her former colleagues and suggested the rest of it had been planted in her suitcase. However, she “had no explanation for why her own jewellery was mixed with the stolen items”.
Detective Sergeant Krista Wilkinson, of Humberside Police, said: “Roberts was an entrusted member of shop responsible for managing the store and whilst working at the jewellers over the course of year stole an estimated £124,675 worth of jewellery and cash.
“From her bedroom, 269 items worth a total value of £107,965 were recovered and, when arrested at the airport, Roberts was wearing approximately £1,015 of stolen items, as well as 22 items – £13,880 worth of jewellery – was located in her suitcase.
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“Without a care in the world, dripping in diamonds, thinking she had deceived everybody, Roberts arrogantly posed on social media and sent pictures boasting to her ex-colleagues about the great time she was having on holiday, not thinking they would realise what she had been doing.
“From the photos she sent colleagues you could clearly see the high value and unique pieces that she was wearing which she had not purchased whilst working for the store.
“Whilst the company may sell luxury products, they are still a business who rely on customers and sales to be able to continue to operate and contribute to the community.
“I am pleased she is now behind bars and I hope it will give her ample time to think about the crime she committed and how it has impacted not only the company, but the colleagues who considered her a friend and who were betrayed by her in such a trusted role.”
Speaking on court conclusion, a spokesperson for the store said: “We’re pleased to finally have closure on the matter after several years. We remain incredibly grateful to Humberside Police Force and our employees, who at the time of the investigation, worked tirelessly and diligently to bring about this outcome and for justice to be achieved.”