F1 Star’s Wife Robbed of £250k Luxury Loot at St Pancras

An Algerian national who remained in the United Kingdom illegally after the expiry of his visa has been jailed for two years and four months after stealing a suitcase containing £250,000 worth of luxury goods and jewellery belonging to Brittny Button, the wife of former Formula One world champion Jenson Button.

The defendant, 41-year-old Mourad Aid, was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court today following his earlier guilty pleas to theft and handling stolen goods. The offences were committed at London’s St Pancras International and in a separate incident outside King’s Cross Station.

The court heard that Aid, who entered the UK on a six-month tourist visa in 2019 and never left, had been subject to bail conditions at the time of the primary offence, including an exclusion from the very location where he was later caught offending.

The theft occurred on 13 February this year as Mr and Mrs Button returned to London from a brief trip to Paris. While the couple waited for a chauffeur outside St Pancras, Aid seized the opportunity to take Mrs Button’s Goyard carry-on case. The contents of the bag included high-value jewellery, family heirlooms, and two Hermès Kelly handbags alone worth a combined £70,000. The items, which held significant personal value, have not been recovered.

The court was told Aid targeted Eurostar passengers with what the prosecution described as “an eye for opportunity”. The theft was executed as Mr Button had his back turned while assisting a driver with loading luggage. Aid, having flouted his court-imposed ban from the King’s Cross area, swiftly fled the scene with the suitcase.

The defendant was arrested four days later, on 17 February, by plain clothes officers in Hatton Garden. Upon arrest, he gave a series of false accounts and claimed to have been in Algeria attending a funeral. During police interviews, he initially denied involvement in the theft but later admitted responsibility and claimed—unconvincingly—that he had handed the bag to charity.

Aid also pleaded guilty to handling a silver Rimowa cabin suitcase stolen from a separate victim, James Humphrey Evans, in an earlier incident dated 24 November 2024. Mr Evans, who had returned to London from Paris with his wife, had placed his suitcase in the boot of a waiting Uber when a coordinated distraction enabled Aid and an accomplice to remove it. The case was subsequently tracked via Mr Evans' mobile device to an address in West London.

Searches of the address revealed what the court described as a suspected repository for stolen goods. Officers recovered ten suitcases, numerous mobile phones wrapped in foil, 30 pairs of sunglasses, and multiple laptops, one of which belonged to Mr Evans and had also been concealed in foil to evade tracking or remote wiping. While Aid was not found to have controlled the flat, the judge ruled that he was “closely connected” to its operations.

During sentencing, Ms Recorder K. Blackwell KC told Aid: “You are a man of 41 years who came to the UK on a tourist visa and remained unlawfully. You have never applied for asylum, nor for benefits, and as far as the court is aware you have never held lawful employment.” The Recorder noted the defendant had no previous convictions in the United Kingdom and treated him as a person of previous good character, awarding full credit for his early guilty pleas. Nonetheless, she remarked that he had deliberately violated his bail and returned to King’s Cross “to commit another crime.”

The Recorder concluded that although she was imposing the shortest sentence compatible with her public duty of 2 years and 4 months' imprisonment , it would still trigger automatic deportation following its completion. The defendant’s previous lack of criminal record and guilty plea were mitigating factors, but the calculated and repeat nature of the conduct, as well as the significant value of the property stolen, weighed heavily in sentencing.

In mitigation, defence counsel Ms Abbey Robertson submitted that her client had been a “cog in a machine” and “easily led” due to his precarious immigration status and inability to speak fluent English. She said he had acted out of desperation, influenced by bad company, and had shown remorse for his actions. The court also heard that Aid fled Algeria due to fears for his safety, citing the murder of his brother and ongoing threats to his life, which he maintains remain active.

During the hearing, it was confirmed that the stolen designer handbags were briefly advertised for sale online, though none were recovered. The victim’s identification of the missing items included distinguishing features, such as a missing strap on one of the Kelly bags. British Transport Police Detective Sergeant Marc Farmer described the theft as a brazen and opportunistic act, warning travellers to remain vigilant at major rail terminals.

Aid will serve half his sentence in custody before being eligible for release on licence. Upon completion, he is expected to be deported from the UK. No further suspects have been charged in connection with the wider suspected handling operation, though inquiries are understood to be ongoing.

Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.