By Martin Evans
A burglar who carried out a £10.4 million ($21 million) jewellery raid at the home of a rich influencer used an abandoned ladder and acted like “Spiderman” to break in via the roof, it has emerged.
The masked thief struck at the £38 million, 21-bedroom house in Primrose Hill, London, while Shafira Huang and her billionaire husband were out of the country on December 7.
Shafira Huang had more than £10 million worth of jewellery stolen from her Primrose Hill mansion. Credit: Instagram
Detectives are investigating whether the burglar, who was armed with a weapon, had been monitoring social media to strike when the couple were away or whether it was a more opportunistic crime.
There were nine members of staff inside the house, one of whom, a maid, almost ran into the thief as he crept through the sprawling property.
One theory is that the burglar gained entry via the house next door, which was undergoing major renovations.
The 10.73-carat Graff diamond ring, which is valued at upwards of £200,000Credit: Metropolitan Police
It is believed that he may have used a builder’s ladder to gain access to the roof before climbing inside through a second-floor window, which had been left open.
The burglar escaped with a huge haul of bespoke jewellery, including diamond rings, designer watches and unique gem encrusted bracelets.
Huang, who is an art collector and Instagram influencer, has offered a £1.5 million reward for help to catch the thief.
It is believed that detectives have located a footprint from the roof of the mansion and are scouring the CCTV footage that captured the moment the raider struck.
Csaba Virag, who is chief of staff to the family, said he believed that the burglar, who was carrying some sort of weapon, had carefully planned the raid despite striking when staff were inside.
A Hermes watch that was stolen from a house in Primrose Hill, London.Credit: AP
He said: “It had to have been pre-planned, definitely. Watching the footage, we can see the person was going to use it [the weapon] if he ended up in a confrontation with someone.
“He was a lone wolf but also a Spiderman, as it was quite a mission for him to climb up to the roof and descend from there to the second floor before breaking into the entrance. There are footprints on the roof that I have seen.
The burglar escaped with bespoke jewellery, including gem encrusted bracelets.Credit: AP
“A lot of the neighbourhood is under construction and some of the properties are for sale. There is a large construction site on the garden side of the home and the thief highly likely came through that property.”
One line of inquiry is that the burglar had been monitoring Huang’s social media posts to identify items of jewellery, but also ascertain when she would not be at home.
Pictures on her Instagram account show her wearing several of the items the suspect is believed to have stolen.
Police have issued a description of the burglar. He is described as being a white man in his late 20s to 30s, of medium build, wearing a dark hoodie, cargo pants and a grey baseball cap.
Among items stolen were a 10.73-carat Graff diamond ring and two De Beers butterfly diamond rings.
The suspect also took a Hermes 3.03-carat ring, an aquamarine ring and a Niloticus Lumiere necklace.
Shafira Huang has offered has offered a £1.5 million reward for help to catch the thief.
Other items taken included a Van Cleef & Arpels clip featuring with gold, diamonds and sapphires, a “fleur des mers” ring with diamonds, sapphires and aquamarines, a diamond, sapphire and platinum necklace/bracelet collection and a gold, diamond and sapphire necklace.
Pink sapphire earrings from Katherine Wang, shaped like butterflies, were also part of the haul.
Det Con Paulo Roberts, of the Metropolitan Police, who is leading the hunt for the burglar, said: “This is a brazen offence where the suspect has entered the property while armed with an unknown weapon and violated the sanctuary of the victims’ home.
A Van Cleef & Arpels necklace valued at more than £200,000 was among the haul of jewellery stolen.Credit: Metropolitan Police
“The suspect has stolen £10.4 million worth of jewellery, much of which is sentimental and unique in its design, and therefore easily identifiable.”
In 2019, Tamara Ecclestone, the British model and daughter of Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 supremo, was the victim of a multimillion-pound burglary at her home.
Three thieves broke in and plundered £25 million worth of jewellery and cash from her Kensington Palace Gardens residence, dubbed Billionaire’s Row, in Kensington, west London.
In just over an hour on December 13, 2019, the burglars cleared the mansion of 400 items of jewellery and large sums of cash.
Most of the stolen jewellery and valuable watches have never been recovered.
The Telegraph, London
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