A couple who stole bank cards from gym goers’ lockers to fund a lavish lifestyle have been sentenced after detectives hunted them down using clues from CCTV footage.
Ashley Singh, 39, and Sophie Bruyea, 20, would target gyms and ransack lockers while people were exercising. A total of 18 people were targeted with a total value of £250,000 stolen.
The pair would then max out their victims’ credit cards on expensive technology and designer gear, before selling it on and using the cash to buy bags, shoes, holidays, and even a pedigree puppy.
Singh and Bruyea flaunted their wealth on social media, posing together on expensive holidays around the world.
Their victims' accounts emptied in a crime the sentencing judge describes as a "wicked conspiracy". Among the luxury items seized by police were a Rolex watch and designer sunglasses and jewellery.
DC Luis Da Silva, from the Met’s economic crime team that investigated this case, said: "We know Londoners are worried about theft. It’s a horrible crime, and it causes a lot of stress, pain, and financial loss. That’s why we take this crime seriously and a whole team of us were committed to catching Singh and Bruyea.
"You couldn’t fail to be moved by the devastating impact their callous behaviour had on people, and we hope that by catching them this offers victims a little bit of solace.
"I would urge anyone who has had something stolen to get in touch, because we do want to drive down this crime and go after those who target the public.
"We will now look to forfeit the proceeds of their crimes to try and help compensate those who went through this."
The pair’s spree was noticed by a local officer, who realised there was a pattern and flagged it to detectives who are experts in economic crime.
A team traced the pair’s phones, cars, and faces on CCTV and linked them all together.
Met officers arrested them at Gatwick Airport on January 27, 2023 as they returned from Paris with 2,000 Euros worth of designer goods.
The judge described the impact the pair’s "wide-ranging spree" had on people, including instances where people no longer felt safe around strangers, or had suffered professionally due to the stress.
Fourteen of the crimes were reported in London, one in Sussex, one from Hertfordshire and two reports from Cambridgeshire.
The pair, from Bromley, were sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday, January 10, to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January 2022 and January 2023.
Singh, 39, was jailed for three years while Bruyea, 20, was sentenced to 20 months at a young offenders’ institute, suspended for two years, a rehabilitation programme and 120 hours unpaid work.
