Two ‘burglary tourists’ fly 7,500 miles to steal luxury goods from UK mansion

Two Chilean women who stole up to £15,000 of luxury items from a Cheshire mansion having come to the UK as “burglary tourists” have been jailed.

Rosa Dotes-Perez, 33 and Francisca Santana, 19, broke into a £3million home in Lymm after being picked up by a male accomplice who had also just arrived in the UK. The women snatched designer handbags, jewellery and other items after damaging CCTV cameras before heading back to Liverpool Airport.

They were arrested after passing police were alerted by automatic number plate recognition to their rental car displaying a false number. Officers searched the MG vehicle and found designer bags, jewellery and certificates belonging to Bernadette Pinkerton, who lives with her husband Steve, the owner of a financial services company.

Police also found a crowbar and several other tools. Both women later cited mental health issues as mitigation for their crime.

Inquiries revealed that the raid on the home took place while the Pinkertons were away on holiday, ManchesterEveningNews reports.

At Chester Crown Court Dotes-Perez, 33, was jailed for 20 months while Santana was locked up in a young offender institution for 16 months after both admitted burglary. Construction worker Jean Paul Pizarro-Carrasco, aged 32 and also from Chile was jailed for 20 months after he pleaded guilty to burglary. All three will be repatriated to their home country following their release from jail.

The raid occurred at 10.30pm, on June 1, just 24 hours after Carrasco arrived in the day before after he landed at Liverpool Airport. He picked up the rental car and fitted it with a false plate before collecting the two women who are thought to have been scouring likely targets after arriving in the UK a few weeks earlier.

Joshua Sanderson-Kirk, prosecuting, said: “Officers were driving on patrol from St Helens to the village of Lymm when they noticed a passing black MG had number plates that were not linked to the car. They stopped the vehicle to find Carrasco in the driver’s seat, with the other two defendants behind him.

“The two defendants in the back seat made off from the vehicle but were both apprehended nearby. Dotes-Perez disposed of a black jacket in a bush whilst trying to escape the officers. This jacket was recovered, and both the defendants were returned to the scene.

“The car was found to be a rental vehicle, obtained by Carrasco the day before after he landed at Liverpool Airport. Between the acquisition of the rental car and their apprehension, the defendants had managed to acquire a fake number plate.

“Within the Jacket, police found certificates belonging to Mrs Pinkerton. They also found a number of designer handbags, jewellery and £400 in cash stored away in a bag. Police also found a crowbar and several other tools within the car.

“Police later attended the Pinkertons’ address to find they were away on holiday at the time that the defendants broke into the house. They searched it and found their home CCTV system had seen damage costing between £1000-£2000. Total losses were estimated to range between £10,000 and £15,000.

“After arrest, Santana was found to have £600 on her, while Carrasco had £60 on him, Dotes-Perez had £75. In the interview, Carrasco said he had been drinking and smoking cannabis before he picked up the defendants. Santana said she had also been drinking and smoking cannabis before the incident. She said they decided to go for a walk and that Carrasco used a piece of wood to get into the property.

“When asked why she was here, she said she had come on a holiday visa two months earlier to watch the King’s coronation with a friend. Dotes-Perez gave no comment in her interview.”

In sentencing, Judge Simon Berkson told the gang: “It mattered not to you what the items of sentimental value meant to the owners or that they had been obtained by hard work. It matters not to you that home invasion leaves an inevitable psychological effect on those who live through it, even when they are not present at the address.

“It affects their psyche and as two of you have your own mental health problems, you can imagine the level of impact your crime has had on the victims. You will unsurprisingly be returned to Chile after you complete your respective sentences.”

In a victim statement, Mrs Pinkerton, said: “My husband and I have worked hard to afford a house, a car and all the nice things such as designer handbags. Some of these handbags were gifts bought by friends and family who have also worked hard to purchase them. I feel angry that they were able to come into our house and search it while we were not even there.

“My house is meant to be a safe space and not only a place for me and my husband to live but also a place where family can stay over. Since the burglary, we have been made to feel unsafe in our own home. I no longer like to be left alone inside the house when my husband is out.

“We also had CCTV installed at our home address to protect us but this unfortunately was not the case in the end. Although the defendants damaged the CCTV, we were still able to watch them break into our home. We sent this footage to the police.”

She added: “When we left our home for our holiday, we asked our son to check on our property. Both my husband and I were extremely stressed by not being able to sort anything out while we were away.

“Our holiday was ruined, and we went from being relaxed to being extremely stressed and full of worry. I am now very nervous and apprehensive. I feel vulnerable, which is something I should not feel in my own home.

“They also took a number of sentimental items of mine, including birth and marriage certificates. Unlike the other items, these have not been recovered, and this is still upsetting to me. No person has the right to do this.”

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