EAST YORKSHIRE, UK — Diamonds weren’t a girl’s best friend for Lucy Roberts, a former jewellery store manager who has been sentenced to 28 months in prison for stealing over £124,000 worth of high-end jewellery.
Roberts, 39, of Mill Road in Swanland, admitted theft by an employee at Grimsby Crown Court. The crimes took place over the course of a year between 2017 and 2018 while she managed the Daniella Draper store in Beverley.
Suspicion grew among staff when Roberts began taking jewellery home under the guise of sorting stock for the workshop. After resigning from her position, she went on a luxury cruise and sent selfies to former colleagues—wearing jewellery they knew she hadn’t purchased. They alerted the area manager, triggering a police investigation.
Authorities uncovered fraudulent return transactions and falsified stock records. A search of Roberts’ bedroom revealed 269 items of jewellery worth £107,965 hidden in boxes and cupboards. When arrested at Heathrow Airport upon her return, she was wearing £1,015 in stolen jewellery and had another £13,880 worth packed in her suitcase.
Detective Sergeant Krista Wilkinson of Humberside Police commented:
“Dripping in diamonds, Roberts arrogantly posed on social media, boasting to former colleagues. She thought she had fooled everyone, but she had not.”
Roberts initially denied the allegations, claiming she borrowed the items or they had been planted. Police bodycam footage showed her attempting to remove jewellery as she was escorted through the airport.
