One of the Rolex Rippers, a group of women who rob wealthy gentlemen for their designer watches, has been jailed for her part in the organised crime. Stefania Tinica, a Romanian national, is the first member of the gang behind dozens of distraction thefts across the country to be convicted.
The 40-year-old and an unknown female accomplice struck in exclusive neighbourhoods at either end of the country five months apart. Tinica relieved one victim of his £15,000 Rolex watch without him realising when she tried to hug and kiss him and attempted to do the same to another man who fought back.
A court heard the attempted robbery happened on January 3 last year by Alderley Edge Golf Club in Cheshire. Tinica approached Simon Kelly and tried to take his £10,000 Rolex Submariner watch off of him.
Mr Kelly managed to break free and push one of them away. Tinica and her accomplice gave up and fled.
Police recovered DNA from Mr Kelly's wrist and although they identified Tinica as the assailant they were unable to trace her. On May 30 she struck for a second time 250 miles away in Bingham Avenue, near to the exclusive Parkstone Golf Club in Poole, Dorset.
Her 75-year-old victim was walking down the road when Tinica stopped him. She suddenly put her arms around him and tried to grab his arm to get him to touch her. The pensioner broke free and saw her get into a car before realising his £15,930 Rolex Submariner timepiece was missing.
Police identified Tinica from CCTV footage obtained from a nearby property but the watch was never recovered. She was eventually arrested last November while trying to board a plane at Luton Airport.
The organised crime gang, believed to be made up of mostly Eastern European women, are thought to have carried out more than 30 near-identical thefts across southern England last year. In most cases the victims were men of a certain age who were wearing designer watches on their exposed wrists.
Thefts took place in counties including Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey and Gloucestershire as well as the one in Cheshire. It is not known whether Tinica was ever linked to any of other crimes, although she was only charged with two.
She pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted robbery and was jailed for 40 months at Chester Crown Court. The Home Office said they do not comment on individual cases but the Home Secretary is required by law to deport any foreign national who receives a custodial sentence of at least 12 months unless a specific exemption applies.
Tinica's victim in the Canford Cliffs attack said today that he was glad she had been caught. The retired City finance worker said he and his brothers had bought themselves the limited edition 50th anniversary submariner watches and despite going to great lengths he had not been able to replace it.
He said: "I consider myself very lucky that she has been caught. The insurance company were great and the police were very good too but I'm p****d off I lost the watch.
"I wore it every day, it was sentimental to me. But I've been to every shop imaginable trying to find one and they just looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Now I just have a Swatch that cost me £83. I'm definitely more wary now, the place where it happened was the last place you would expect it, it's a very quiet road."
Alan Bruce, a 64-year-old marine engineer, lost his £14,000 Rolex when two women posed as charity workers to distract him in Wimborne, Dorset, on July 15. After being shown a photo of Tinica he confirmed that she was not one of them.
Other victims of the Rolex Rippers include retired wine merchant Derek Freestone, 77, who had his £12,500 Rolex Oyster stolen in Emsworth, West Sussex, on July 7 and retired pilot Michael Parry, 84, who had his £15,000 Rolex stolen by a woman posing as a charity worker outside his local supermarket in Bourton-on-the-water, Gloucs.
Robin Haycock was targeted for his £20,000 Rolex Daytona in the car park at Ferndown Golf Club, Dorset, on July 17. And Richard Gray, 79, lost his £8,000 Rolex after two women distracted him outside his home in Canford Cliffs, Poole, in October.
Hampshire Police reported in December that they were investigating more than 30 incidents of victims targeted for high value watches just in their county alone. Dorset Police said no further arrests had been made in connection with their other similar cases.
