Good afternoon,
Enjoyed the cautionary tales about jewellery heists from Aussie Sapphire. I recall reading of a con man who persuaded a number of major jewellers that he was setting up a jewellery exhibition in Melbourne and then absconded with the items handed over. I tried to find a link to the story... unsuccessfully.. but did find these close to home stories below.
FAKE EBAY GEMMOLOGIST CAPTUREDA man posed as a qualified gemmologist to sell thousands of dollars of fake diamonds and jewellery on eBay, according to court accusations.Jeremy Bannister appeared in Melbourne’s County Court last week, facing multiple fraud charges. It is alleged Bannister, 25, used online marketplaces eBay and Trading Post to trade in fake diamonds, jewellery and watches.
The court heard Bannister had claimed to be a qualified gemmologist who “sought quality gems from the cutting tables of Antwerp and Africa”.
In fact, Bannister was unemployed and allegedly used a number of false names and addresses to avoid detection on the websites. Bannister’s plan came unstuck in December 2008 when a dissatisfied customer contacted police.
The customer made a complaint when a 3.77-carat diamond wedding ring he paid $4,500 for turned-out to be ”fake”, the news report stated.
After a three-month investigation police raided Bannister’s home in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Iris, uncovering fake stones, jewellery, and counterfeit brands including Rolex watches and Tiffany & Co.
Prosecutor Steven Milesi said the evidence implicated Bannister in “widespread fraud”.
Last week Bannister pleaded guilty to 43 charges, mostly relating to obtaining or attempting to obtain property by deception. He is accused of pocketing more than $157,000 from his victims.
According to
The Age report, Bannister used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, including purchases of a Porsche and a back-up BMW.
He would generate sales on online trading sites like eBay and Trading Post by writing his own “glowing reviews from satisfied customers”, pushing-up prices by bidding for his own items.
Bannister’s lawyer argued his client’s conduct was “amateurish” and bound to be detected, asking the judge to take into account Bannister’s lower level of mental functioning caused by an injury sustained when he was a teenager.
Judge Wendy Wilmoth adjourned sentencing to a later date.
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Million dollar diamond heistSmash and grab robber snatches a $1 million ring from a Collins Street jeweller on the weekend.A thief has snatched a million dollar ring after smashing a hole in an exclusive central Melbourne jeweller's reinforced window in broad daylight.
The man - dressed in black and wearing a black beanie - used a 1.8-kilogram hammer to smash the hole in the display window of Hardy Brothers Jewellers in Collins Street about 4.40pm yesterday, police say.
He grabbed the hand-made 9.1 carat round brilliant cut solitaire engagement ring, billed by Hardy Brothers as the Million Dollar Ring, and fled into an arcade and along nearby Equitable Place.
Police have been told that a piece of jewellery, know as the Million Dollar Ring, was on display in the front window of a Melbourne store when it was stolen by a man in black.
The store is near a tram stop where, police say, at least 15 passengers would have been waiting at that time on a Sunday afternoon.Detective Senior Constable Al Brgoc of Melbourne City detectives said he was surprised by the brazen nature of the theft.
"He's given the window a couple of whacks with that and managed to break through a fist-sized hole, reached in not very far, just plucked the ring off its display stand and did the bolt," he said.
"There's no sophistication involved with this. It was the typical smash-grab.
"At 20 to five, even though it's a Sunday, there was still plenty of people around. There is a tram stop nearby that would have had at least 15 or 20 passengers waiting for a tram. It was pretty gutsy."
The hammer, described by police as a "baby sledgehammer, was discovered at the scene.
It was new but the brand name had been scratched from the handle in a bid to obscure where it was bought.
Little evidence remains of the crime on Sunday evening beyond a few shards of glass on the footpath beneath a now empty display case.
John Hardy established Hardy Brothers Jewellers from his rooms in Jamison Street, Sydney, in 1853, soon after his arrival from Nottinghamshire in England. He opened a shop in Hunter Street in 1855, expanding to Queen Street in Brisbane in 1894 and Collins Street in Melbourne in 1918.
Hardy Brothers holds the royal warrant for silversmithing in Australia.
The Melbourne branch of the jewellery dynasty is located near the corner of Collins and Elizabeth streets in the heart of the Melbourne, close to the city's main shopping areas and financial district.
Det Snr Const Brgoc said detectives would review closed circuit footage and want to speak with anyone who sold a man a small sledgehammer on Sunday.Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/1-million-ring-stolen-in-brazen-smash-and-grab-20090329-9ftz.html#ixzz42wkVp1iP
