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Man Sentenced After Admitting Theft From Gatwick Store Where He Worked

A thief who stole thousands of pounds worth of watches and jewellery from the store of his employer at Gatwick Airport has been convicted.

Romario Lawson, 33, had briefly been employed by Ernest Jones, the jeweller, at the South Terminal at the airport in December 2019.

He left the job less than a month later, but during the time he was employed, staff noticed items going missing, such as watches, earrings and gold rings.

A stock-check found a total off £48,000 worth of items were missing and a report was made to Sussex Police.

Police were unable to locate Lawson until February of this year when he was arrested on suspicion of theft.

During his interview he told police he had taken the items and that he felt "disgusted" with himself.

He said he'd taken the job at the jewellers to make some money in order to pay off his fees at acting college, but had been unable to hold down the job and do his studies at the same time, so decided to steal from the shop.

At Lewes Crown Court on May 6, Lawson, of Mostyn Road, Lambeth, admitted the charge of theft by an employee.

The court heard how the most expensive items were an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Diamond Bracelet Watch worth £9,040 (pictured) and an Omega Globemaster Aqua Terra Men’s Two Colour Bracelet Watch worth £8,700 (pictured).

Lawson was sentenced to a 16-month suspended prison sentence, and was told to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and 12 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) sessions.

Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Mark Baker said:

“Lawson stole several high-value items including seven watches and items of jewellery.

“He originally told officers from the Metropolitan Police Service that he was given watches on commission for his work.

“Fortunately all items were recovered as part of the investigation, and Lawson was caught.

“The case demonstrates that we take reports of theft at the airport very seriously, and we are pleased that the offender was apprehended and brought to justice.”

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