A Spanish woman has been sentenced to six months in prison in the UK after stealing more than €20,000 worth of bags from the well-known luxury goods store Harrods in London. She will only serve half of her sentence in prison, however.
Cadena Ser tells the story of Margarita del Carmen Valdés Torres, 38, who is said to have visited the popular department store on up to five occasions to carry out the robberies.
Between October and May, Margarita stole bags from luxury brands Hermès, Valentino, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci.
The case began on 25 October, when the Spanish woman visited Harrods and managed to leave the store with a Hermès bag valued at £2,120 (around €2,474). Three days later, the woman was caught on the famous store's security cameras as she fled with a Valentino bag worth around £2,400 (€2,800).
Margarita managed to return safely to Spain with both bags, which prompted her to try to repeat the feat. And so it happened on 14 March, when she stole a Chanel bag worth £5,220 (€6,093). Two days later, the suspect stole another bag, an Yves Saint Laurent bag worth £2,880 (€3,360). Once again, the woman headed back to Spain without being arrested.
Some say the third time's a charm, and it seems that this time the proverb has come true. On May 10, the woman attempted her most ambitious robbery yet: a Gucci bag and glasses worth £6,735 (almost €8,000).
However, she was caught on the spot by the store's security guards, who tried to escape, leading to a chase in broad daylight through the streets of the British capital.
She was eventually arrested. An electric label-removing machine and a pair of wire-cutting pliers were found in her bag.
In court, Margarita pleaded guilty to the five robberies, valued at more than £19,000 (more than €22,180).
