Housekeeper stole £400,000 in jewellery and watches from wealthy guests at London hotels and apartments
29 March 2023, 17:54
A housekeeper who stole nearly £400,000 in jewellery and watches from rich guests staying at London hotels and apartments is facing a lengthy jail term.
Sabrina Rova worked as a cleaner at luxurious hotels and apartments in London, including the five-star Hilton Hotel in Park Lane and The Other House apartments in South Kensington, when she carried out the thefts.
Rova, 23, stole Cartier watches and rings, Rolex watches, and Dior pearl earrings, while also stealing credit cards to fund her shopping sprees, Westminster magistrates court heard.
Following the thefts, the 23-year-old quit her job before moving onto her next target, the court heard.
She broke down in tears after admitting to a burglary at the Hilton hotel, which was worth a whopping £187,000, in addition to using a stolen bank card.
Rova has since pleaded guilty to two more burglaries, including one where jewellery and watches amounting to £179,000 were stolen, as well as another fraud.
"In each case, Ms Rova gained work as a housekeeper, and used her position to access guests’ rooms in different hotels and stole valuable items," prosecutor Rachel Darlington said.
"Following each burglary, she immediately left the hotel in the middle of her shift, never to return."
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Westminster magistrates court also heard how a custom-made piece of diamond jewellery worth 80,000 euros was stolen, as well as a pair of 26,000-euro Cartier earrings from The Other House on September 15 last year.
Rova, originally from Romania, also used a stolen bank card to buy items at a nearby Footlocker store on Oxford Street, central London.
Prosecutor Alex Matthews said Rova, who had been living in Walthamstow, acted as part of an "organised crime group".
Rova has been remanded in custody to face sentencing on April 5.
