Latest news with #RolexRipper
The National
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Who was Jennifer Abbott, film director 'murdered in her London home for her Rolex'?
Filmmaker Jennifer Abbott was found dead in her London flat, with police saying she might have been killed for her diamond-encrusted Rolex watch. A woman, 66, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder. Abbott, 69, was discovered in her flat with tape over her mouth when a neighbour helped her concerned niece break down the door on June 13. She was last seen alive walking her pet corgi in Camden, north London, on June 10. London has been hit in recent years by a 'Rolex ripper' crime wave, in which highly organised criminal groups operate in the city to snatch luxury watches from victims, often from their wrists but also from their homes. According to her neighbours, Abbott was well-liked, having lived in the area for several years after moving from Los Angeles. Abbott shared many photos of herself with entertainers including actress Kate Hudson, musician George Benson and comedian Dane Cook on her Facebook page. 'She used to live in Beverly Hills,' a neighbour told MailOnline, adding that she moved to London after she 'lost everything'. Another told Metro: 'She was a lovely lady, always so well turned out and lovely to speak to. She was a real character.' The author and filmmaker, also known as Sarah Steinberg, was born in London in 1967, the daughter of an ambassador, and graduated from the University of Westminster, according to her official biography on IMDb. What did Jennifer Abbott direct? Most notably, Abbott directed a feature-length film titled War of the Gods, which won the best documentary prize at the 2009 Swansea Film Festival, which ran from 2006 to 2011 in Wales. The festival boasted Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Sheen among its high-profile supporters and helped to launch the career of Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans (The Raid, Gangs of London), whose debut feature Footsteps won the top prize at the inaugural event. According to a brochure clipping from a Norwegian film festival posted on Abbott's Facebook account, the film 'explains how political leaders misuse religion to declare war and violence'. The film used archive footage of political figures including Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, former Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion, former US president George W Bush and former UK prime minister Tony Blair, along with interviews. In a speech at a screening in London, Abbott said production was arduous: 'I was arrested, thrown in jail for three days, and the film was confiscated [by Beverly Hills police] for six months, until Bush came out of power.' In 2004, Abbott directed the 10-minute short horror film Temple of Fear, set in Arizona and based on her supernatural horror novel The Other Dimension. According to IMDb and her LinkedIn profile, Abbott tried to adapt the short into a feature-length film starring Christopher Walken, Jason Alexander and Jon Lovitz, but the project did not come to fruition. Her company, Orchid Production, was behind a number of other projects. Literary career In addition to The Other Dimension, She also wrote horror short stories. In 2002, she published a poetry collection called Poems From the Deepest Corner of the Soul. Before that, she wrote a horror novel, The Scream from Within, published in 1995 and 'based on a true story'. 'Married at 11, beaten by her husband and disowned by her family, Sarah was victimised until her soul was devoured with pain. Haunted by a mysterious past, she fled until she was forced to confront her fears. She fought a battle that no one could win in the corrupt society where she thought she belonged. But finally, she freed herself, bought a one-way ticket to the free world and swore never to return,' reads The Scream From Within 's official description. An Amazon reviewer called the book 'Intense, adventurous and utterly emotional experience.' Used copies of the book are currently available.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Chilling moment thieves steal car with wireless device in seconds as new doc reveals how Brit motors end up in Lithuania
CHILLING footage shows the moment thieves stole a car in just seconds using a wireless device. Investigative reporter Matt Shea went undercover for Channel 4 Dispatches to shed light on organised criminal gangs specialising in car thefts. Advertisement 5 Investigative reporter Matt Shea exposed criminal gangs specialising in car thefts Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches 5 One of the thieves is pictured holding an amplifier outside the property during the staged theft Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches 5 The thieves explained in detail how the device worked Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches In the show, which will air in full tonight, Shea met whistleblowers and A sneak peek at the much-anticipated programme shows Footage shows the pair revealing to Shea exactly how they can steal a car in just 20 seconds. Thief 'T' and an accomplice demonstrated how they use an amplifier, which looks similar to a radio or walkie-talkie. Advertisement Read More in Motors It picks up the signal from the "key" inside a home and uses it to unlock a car parked outside. The device works by scrambling the signal from a remote key fob, and was used in nearly 60 percent of car thefts in the UK last year. After just a few seconds of holding the amplifier outside the window, the car door unlocked, allowing T to simply open the door and start up the engine. Once the engine had started, the accomplice could take the amplifier, jump in the car and they drove off, with the entire theft taking less than 20 seconds. Advertisement Most read in Motors Asked if they feel anything for the people they steal from they respond: 'These cars are insured, that's like, that a first world problem, you know, there's bigger s*** going on out there,. "Like your f***ng Range Rover's gone, boo-hoo, go and buy another one, man.' "The Teslas aren't easy, I don't think anyone's figured that out yet, because they are proper high tech' the thieves claim. Moment cops snare 'Rolex Ripper' gang after brazen watch thieves try to rob pair…only to find they're undercover police However, they brazenly boasted that others makes and models are easy to steal. Advertisement The men claimed they have taken up to 20 vehicles a month for as much as £5,000 per car, depending on its value. They told Shea that up to 90 per cent of cars are broken down for their parts. Last year approximately 355 vehicles were stolen every day in England and Wales. The shocking finds equate to a stolen car every four minutes, and more than 70 per cent the amount stolen a decade ago. Advertisement Freedom of Information requests to police forces in England and Wales also reveal that – for the 18 forces who responded - only 3.4 per cent of reports of a car being stolen between 2020 and 2024 led to someone being charged or summonsed. In the documentary, criminals revealed how highly organised gangs stole cars, dismantling them at so called 'chop shops' before shipping them out of the country to Eastern Europe. The programme reveals how a blue Audi A4, fitted with a hidden tracker, was stolen from a woman's driveway in north London on March 15. The car's GPS signal showed the Audi moving east towards the borough of Enfield and then switching off. Advertisement Five weeks later, the tracker suddenly reappeared in Kaunas, Lithuania, and was tracked to a business in the outskirts of the city called Baltic Car Trade. Dispatches filmed the police raid on the property, but instead of finding a blue Audi A4, all they found that was left of the vehicle was a bunch of wires. The car, like many stolen off British streets, was long gone having been torn apart. 5 One Audi A4 tracker was found in Lithuania with the car long gone Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches Advertisement 5 Stolen vehicle parts Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Chilling moment thieves steal car with wireless device in seconds as new doc reveals how Brit motors end up in Lithuania
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHILLING footage shows the moment thieves stole a car in just seconds using a wireless device. Investigative reporter Matt Shea went undercover for Channel 4 Dispatches to shed light on organised criminal gangs specialising in car thefts. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Investigative reporter Matt Shea exposed criminal gangs specialising in car thefts Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches 5 One of the thieves is pictured holding an amplifier outside the property during the staged theft Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches 5 The thieves explained in detail how the device worked Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches In the show, which will air in full tonight, Shea met whistleblowers and car thieves in a bid to expose the truth. A sneak peek at the much-anticipated programme shows two car thieves demonstrating using keyless technology bought from the dark web. Footage shows the pair revealing to Shea exactly how they can steal a car in just 20 seconds. Thief 'T' and an accomplice demonstrated how they use an amplifier, which looks similar to a radio or walkie-talkie. It picks up the signal from the "key" inside a home and uses it to unlock a car parked outside. The device works by scrambling the signal from a remote key fob, and was used in nearly 60 percent of car thefts in the UK last year. After just a few seconds of holding the amplifier outside the window, the car door unlocked, allowing T to simply open the door and start up the engine. Once the engine had started, the accomplice could take the amplifier, jump in the car and they drove off, with the entire theft taking less than 20 seconds. Asked if they feel anything for the people they steal from they respond: 'These cars are insured, that's like, that a first world problem, you know, there's bigger s*** going on out there,. "Like your f***ng Range Rover's gone, boo-hoo, go and buy another one, man.' "The Teslas aren't easy, I don't think anyone's figured that out yet, because they are proper high tech' the thieves claim. Moment cops snare 'Rolex Ripper' gang after brazen watch thieves try to rob pair…only to find they're undercover police However, they brazenly boasted that others makes and models are easy to steal. The men claimed they have taken up to 20 vehicles a month for as much as £5,000 per car, depending on its value. They told Shea that up to 90 per cent of cars are broken down for their parts. Last year approximately 355 vehicles were stolen every day in England and Wales. The shocking finds equate to a stolen car every four minutes, and more than 70 per cent the amount stolen a decade ago. Freedom of Information requests to police forces in England and Wales also reveal that – for the 18 forces who responded - only 3.4 per cent of reports of a car being stolen between 2020 and 2024 led to someone being charged or summonsed. In the documentary, criminals revealed how highly organised gangs stole cars, dismantling them at so called 'chop shops' before shipping them out of the country to Eastern Europe. The programme reveals how a blue Audi A4, fitted with a hidden tracker, was stolen from a woman's driveway in north London on March 15. The car's GPS signal showed the Audi moving east towards the borough of Enfield and then switching off. Five weeks later, the tracker suddenly reappeared in Kaunas, Lithuania, and was tracked to a business in the outskirts of the city called Baltic Car Trade. Dispatches filmed the police raid on the property, but instead of finding a blue Audi A4, all they found that was left of the vehicle was a bunch of wires. The car, like many stolen off British streets, was long gone having been torn apart. 5 One Audi A4 tracker was found in Lithuania with the car long gone Credit: Channel 4 Dispatches
The Sun
01-05-2025
- The Sun
Watch moment brazen thief is tackled & put in chokehold by tourist after he ‘tried to steal his camera' in Barcelona
THIS is the incredible moment a "thief" gets wrestled into a suffocating chokehold by a tourist after he tried to nick his camera. The suspected robber picked the wrong target - as the brave photographer appeared put the man into submission with ease. 3 3 3 Extraordinary video footage showed the holidaymaker tightening his grip on the alleged thief - who appears close to passing out. The pair tussle on the floor in Barcelona, but it is not much of a contest as the tourist is completely dominant. Shocked onlookers watch on as the helpless man taps out and looks as if he has just endured hell. The bystanders then applause as a policeman takes over and the heroic tourist gets up. The man's body almost seems like a ragdoll as he is thrown against a plant pot by the local enforcement officer. Barcelona is notorious for its rampant thieves who target unsuspecting tourists. Last August, Sir Ben Ainslie was robbed at knifepoint for his £17,000 Rolex in the Spanish city. Ainslie, 47, recalled the horror as a gang mugged him while out for a meal on Saturday night in Barcelona. The terrifying attack unfolded when he was leaving a restaurant, as reported by local media La Vanguardia. Moment cops snare 'Rolex Ripper' gang after brazen watch thieves try to rob pair…only to find they're undercover police And last year, unbelievable footage captured a thief swiping a Brit tourist's phone just as he proposed to his girlfriend in Barcelona. Footage showed Charlie Bullock surprising his now-fiancée Hannah McNaghten by going down on one knee - but the romantic moment is cut short as a thug is captured nabbing the device. Charlie propped up his phone on the wall as the two posed for a picture outside Barcelona 's famous Arc de Triomf, with Hannah totally unaware of what would happen next. And in 2022, Barcelona FC star Robert Lewandowski chased a thief who stole his £59,000 watch as he signed autographs. Before an evening training session, the Poland hitman stopped to greet fans outside the club's Ciutat Esportiva complex. But one crafty thief used the distraction to open Lewandowski's car door and make off with the high-end time piece.
