Gatwick Airport: Couple spent £250k on stolen bank cards

Some 18 people were targeted in what a judge called a “wicked conspiracy” by Ashley Singh and Sophie Bruyea. 

Some of the items seized by police (Image: Metropolitan Police)

They would visit gyms and, while people were exercising, Singh would rifle through their lockers.

They then went on spending sprees buying expensive technology and designer gear. they sold it on and used the cash to buy bags, shoes, holidays and a pedigree puppy.

The card owners had money drained from their accounts, could not use their phones because the cards had been removed.

The crimes were first noticed by a local police officer who realised there was a pattern and flagged it to expert detectives.

Sophie Bruyea posing for a picture with a dog (Image: tiktok/sophiebruyea) (Image: tiktok/sophiebruyea)

A team traced the pair’s phones, car, and faces on CCTV and linked them all together.

Metropolitan Police officers arrested them at Gatwick Airport on January 27 last year as they returned from Paris with 2,000 euros worth of designer goods.

Pictures of the couple shared online showed them on lavish holidays in Dubai and Italy and in expensive cars.

The duo at a fancy event (Image: facebook/sophie.bruyea.12)

DC Luis Da Silva, from the Met’s economic crime team which investigated this case, said: “We know Londoners are worried about theft.

"It’s a horrible crime and it causes a lot of stress, pain, and financial loss. That’s why we take this crime seriously and a whole team of us were committed to catching Singh and Bruyea.

“You couldn’t fail to be moved by the devastating impact their callous behaviour had on people, and we hope that by catching them this offers victims a little bit of solace.

"I would urge anyone who has had something stolen to get in touch, because we do want to drive down this crime and go after those who target the public.

“We will now look to forfeit the proceeds of their crimes to try and help compensate those who went through this.”

Singh was sentenced to three years in prison (Image: Metropolitan Police)

There were 18 fraud reports in total, with 14 in the Met area, one from Sussex, one from Hertfordshire and two from Cambridgeshire.

The pair, of Widmore Road, Bromley, were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January 2022 and January 2023 to a total value of £250,000.

At Croydon Crown Court on January 10 Singh, 39, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and Bruyea, 20, was sentenced to 20 months at a young offenders’ institute, suspended for two years, a rehabilitation programme and 120 hours unpaid work.