A pair of sisters have been jailed after raiding Gatwick Airport’s duty free for thousands of pounds worth of items.
Georgina and Laura Epitropou, from Crawley, targeted duty free stores at the airport over a period of 10 months, stuffing £80,000 pounds worth of perfume and make-up in empty suitcases.
To access the stores at Gatwick airport, the pair required a ticket to bypass security so they would buy international flights before conducting their heists.
The elaborate scheme had initially begun with just one sister, but as it went on, the other joined.
While one sister distracted a member of staff in the store, the other would fill the empty suitcase with stolen items, Lewes Crown Court heard.
However, after an investigation into their crimes, Georgina, 42 and Laura, 45, were arrested.
Gatwick CID found the pair made 22 internal flights over the 10-month period.
Daniel Cummins from the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘Despite claiming that they were in debt when they were arrested, it was clear that both sisters were living beyond their means and using these thefts to fund their lavish lifestyles, which included cosmetic surgery.
‘They were stealing to order, putting significant planning into these thefts, deciding how many items to take and even lowering that number after Laura was arrested by Police Scotland with stolen goods in her possession.
‘The women sold the stolen products at around half the price they retailed for, making thousands in the process through online marketplaces and sales to individuals.’
The pair were charged with conspiracy to steal items, and older sister Laura was also charged with acquiring criminal property.
The siblings both plead guilty to all charges, and were both sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE : ‘Monster’ social worker jailed for sending ‘revolting’ messages to teens
MORE : Shocking moment boy sells Class A drugs to his own pram-pushing mother
MORE : Men convicted of running down NHS worker during hit-and-run spree
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.