'Beckham kidnap gang' are accused of attempting to steal from Sotheby's
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Five men arrested in connection with an alleged £5m plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham appeared in court yesterday, accused of either stealing from Sotheby's or being involved in a plot to rob the auction house.
The men were among nine people held over the weekend by police investigating the alleged plan to snatch Mrs Beckham, and possibly her two children. The accused, four of Romanian origin and one Kosovo-Albanian, sat quietly through the hour-long hearing, occasionally talking to each other and solicitors.
At one point District Judge Rosamund Keating interrupted Gavin Ludlow-Thompson, for the prosecution, as he outlined details of the case. She said: "I see a lot of defendants seem to be smiling. I have noticed; the court has noticed it."
Three of the men were arrested by officers from Scotland Yard at a hotel car park on Saturday evening. They appeared at Horseferry Road magistrates' court, London, charged with stealing a jewel-encrusted turban worth up to £60,000 from Sotheby's and allegedly offering it to an undercover reporter from the News of the World.
Rusu Sorin, 31, Azem Krifsha, 30, and Joseph Rivas, 24, who was born in Britain and had worked for a security company employed by Sotheby's, were arrested. The turban was found in the boot of a car, the court heard. Mr Sorin, of Croydon, south London, was charged with stealing the turban from Sotheby's in New Bond Street, central London. He was also charged with handling stolen goods.
Mr Krifsha, of Battersea Park, south London, faced similar charges with Mr Rivas, of Brixton, south London, who was also accused of conspiring to rob Sotheby's of cash. Adrian Pasareanu, 28, and Alin Turcu, 18, both of Morden, south London, were accused of conspiracy to rob after being arrested in follow-up raids. The men sat in two rows in the dock with five security guards behind them. Mr Krifsha, the Kosovo-Albanian, had an Albanian interpreter. A small group sat behind them in the public gallery.
Mr Krifsha and Mr Turcu, who came to England at 15 after being brought up in a Romanian orphanage and now works renovating properties, were denied bail. All five were remanded in custody and will appear again on 11 November.
At the Beckhams' home in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, security measures were stepped up yesterday with specialist firms installing more cameras. Victoria's father, Tony Adams, was also seen in the grounds talking to security staff at the gatehouse of the 24-acre property. On Sunday, David Beckham said: "The first role of a father and husband is to keep his family safe."