Burglary suspect, 44, in £50m Tamara Ecclestone jewellery raid is flown into UK from Italy to appear in court
- Alessandro Maltese, 44, was detained in Italy under a European Arrest Warrant
- He was returned to Heathrow and will today appear in court charged with conspiracy to commit burglary between November 30 last year and February 1
- It is understood this included the break-in of Tamara Ecclestone’s mansion
A burglary suspect in the £50million raid of Tamara Ecclestone’s Kensington home has been flown to the UK from Italy to face charges.
Alessandro Maltese, 44, was detained in Italy this month under a European Arrest Warrant following an investigation by the Met’s Flying Squad.
He was returned to Heathrow yesterday and will today appear in court charged with ‘conspiracy to commit burglary between November 30 last year and February 1’.
It is understood this included the break-in of Formula 1 heiress Ms Ecclestone’s £70million London mansion on December 13.
A £300,000 pair of diamond earrings and a Louis Vuitton bag were among a haul of currency, jewellery and watches stolen from the home while Ms Ecclestone, daughter of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, was on holiday.
Alessandro Maltese, 44, was detained in Italy this month under a European Arrest Warrant following an investigation by the Met’s Flying Squad (pictured, arriving at court)
He was returned to Heathrow yesterday and will today appear in court charged with ‘conspiracy to commit burglary between November 30 last year and February 1′ (pictured, the Serco van he was taken to Westminster Magistrates’ Court in today)
Thieves stole £50million worth of jewellery from Tamara Ecclestone, who is pictured with husband Jay Rutland
Ms Ecclestone was said to have been left ‘shaken’ by the raid on her hidden safes at the 55-room property near Hyde Park, where neighbours include Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and the Sultan of Brunei.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: ‘A man has been charged in connection with a series of high-value burglaries in December 2019 following an investigation by the Met’s Flying Squad.
‘Alessandro Maltese was returned to the UK via Heathrow on Thursday, 15 October following his arrest in Italy under a European Arrest Warrant earlier this month.
‘He was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary between Saturday, 30 November 2019 and Sunday, 1 February and remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 16 October.’
It is understood this included the break-in of Formula 1 heiress Ms Ecclestone’s £70million London mansion on December 13 (pictured, arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court)
The heist at Ecclestone’s house (above) took place on one of London ‘s most exclusive streets, nicknamed Billionaire’s Row, in Kensington