A European manhunt is underway for a man wanted in connection with one of the largest burglaries in English legal history. Alfredo Lindley is said to have led a series of burglaries on three celebrities’ luxury homes in December 2019, including a £25 million raid on the home of F1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone.
Lindley is also accused of raiding the home of Patrick Vieira, now the manager of Crystal Palace, in 2008. Lindley is thought to be in Belgrade.
According to court documents obtained by the newspapers, the 40-year-old Peruvian national has a criminal record in Italy for scams and burglaries under multiple identities dating back to 1995. Lindley has used at least 19 aliases in the last decade, according to information, including Daniel Vukovic, Ljubomir Romanov, and Ljubomir Radosavlejic.
Documents show that these individuals have ties to a number of European cities, including Belgrade, Sarajevo, Milan, and Zagreb.
Lindley appeared in court in Belgrade on August 27 under the name Ljubomir Romanov, facing extradition to the United Kingdom.
The case was brought by the Republic of Serbia’s specialized organized crime department. However, the Serbian authorities refused the extradition, and Lindley is still believed to be in Belgrade. He is listed as a co-owner of a construction company in the city center. His home address, according to his Serbian government-issued ID, is in Obrenovac, a municipality of Belgrade.
Lindley is “wanted for questioning in relation to a series of high-value burglaries committed in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea in December 2019,” according to Met Police detectives.
During the first 13 days of December 2019, an estimated £26 million in items were stolen from the west London homes of Ms. Ecclestone, Frank Lampard, and the deceased former owner of Leicester City, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. The raid on Ms Ecclestone’s mansion alone – on one of the world’s most expensive streets – is thought to be the largest domestic burglary in English legal history.
The majority of the stolen jewelry and watches were never found.
Following a two-month trial, four Romanian nationals were acquitted of conspiracy to commit burglary earlier this year.
Jugoslav Jovanovic, 24, Alessandro Donati, 44, and Alessandro Maltese, 45, are all Italian nationals who have been extradited from Italy to the United Kingdom and have admitted their involvement in the raids. On November 15, they will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court.
Lindley, along with and Jovanovic, flew into London Stansted from Stockholm on November 30, 2019, under the name Daniel Vukovic, according to details read out in a related court case.
The couple set up shop in a hotel in Orpington, south-east London.
Jovanovic broke into the west London home of ex-Chelsea and England footballer Lampard and his wife Christine the next day while the couple was out.
White-gold Patek Philippe cufflinks, a Cartier pocket watch, two rose-gold ladies’ watches, and a Mia Lia gold necklace were among the items stolen, totaling more than £50,000. Lindley is being held responsible for the burglary, according to police.
Then, on December 10, a Knightsbridge home belonging to billionaire Leicester City owner Mr Srivaddhanaprabha was broken into.
Mr Srivaddhanaprabha died in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium in October 2018, and his family said the house had remained empty since then.
Lindley, along with Jovanovic, Maltese, and Donati, is accused of ransacking the house.
Last November, jurors were told that among the items taken were seven Patek Philippe watches, a Tag Heuer smart watch, and approximately €400,000 in cash. The following day, the group dined at a sushi restaurant near Harrods for a £760 champagne and sashimi lunch.
Finally, on December 13, Lindley, Maltese, and Donati are said to have carried out the Ecclestone raid while Jovanovic stood guard.
The men, armed with screwdrivers, targeted the palatial home opposite Kensington Palace that F1 heiress Ms Ecclestone shares with her husband Jay Rutland, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Only a few hours before, the couple had left for a Christmas vacation in Lapland. Kensington Palace Gardens is the most expensive street in the world, has an armed-guard presence and is home to the Russian, French and Israeli embassies as well as Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovic and the Sultan of Brunei.
