I was a burglar and stole £5 million worth of people’s jewellery
A FORMER jewelery thief who stole £5 million worth of belongings from people’s homes has revealed how she was eventually caught.
Sophie Turner has got viewers hooked on their screens with her performance as a notorious jewel thief in new ITV drama Joan.
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Joan Hannington, now 67, made millions in the 1980s by swilling diamonds in jewelery stores and breaking into country houses.
And now Jennifer Gomez, who spent 10 years in prison for breaking into people’s homes and stealing their gold jewelry and money, has shared her own story.
Jennifer revealed she made millions by climbing through people’s windows and stealing their belongings.
She melted down the gold jewelry she stole into gold bars and then sold the bars to collectors and dealers.
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“I did this for years and made a lot of money,” she said in a video on her TikTok channel.
However, one day her luck finally ran out, after the police raided her house based on a “hunch”.
Explaining how she ended up getting into trouble, Jennifer said she melted her gold at a local hardware store run by a “cunning” man.
She revealed that by law you must be licensed to smelt gold, and you must identify anyone who wants to use your service to ensure the gold has not been stolen.
However, the shop’s “cunning” owner let her melt the gold without identifying her, in exchange for a small cut of her earnings.
Jennifer managed to use this man’s services for years, but it turned out that his store was being monitored by the police for other “devious things” he was doing.
Eventually, the police became suspicious of Jennifer because they saw her coming in and out of the store every week without appearing to buy anything.
When the police arrested the store owner and investigated him about the other “devious” things he had been up to, he betrayed Jennifer and told them that she had used his machine to melt gold.
How to protect your home against burglars
- Install a home security system:
- Think of alarms, CCTV cameras and smart doorbells.
- Choose systems that allow remote monitoring via smartphone.
- Secure doors and windows:
- Make sure all doors and windows have robust locks.
- Use deadbolts and window locks for extra security.
- Consider installing a peephole or door chain.
- Improve outdoor lighting:
- Install motion sensor lighting around your property.
- Make sure paths, driveways and entrances are well lit.
- Maintain your garden:
- Keep hedges and shrubs pruned to eliminate hiding places.
- Store tools and ladders safely to prevent them from being used in the event of a burglary.
- Use timers for lighting:
- Set timers to turn the lights on and off to give the impression that someone is home.
- Consider using smart plugs to control appliances remotely.
- Secure garages and sheds:
- Make sure these areas are secured with strong padlocks.
- Keep valuables out of sight.
- Get to know your neighbors:
- Get involved or start a neighborhood watch program.
- Encourage neighbors to keep an eye on each other’s properties.
- Be careful with social media:
- Don’t post vacation plans or location updates online.
- Make sure the privacy settings are secure to limit who can see your messages.
- Mark valuables with a UV pen:
- Mark valuables with a UV pen with your zip code and house number.
- Register items in a proprietary database to make them easier to find if they are stolen.
- Then consider installing a safe:
- Use a safe to store important documents and valuables.
- Make sure the safe is securely bolted to the floor or wall.
- Check your home insurance:
- Check whether your home insurance is up to date.
- Make sure the value of your belongings is covered.
- Perform regular safety checks:
- Review and update your home security measures regularly.
- Make sure all systems and locks are in good working order.
She explained that when she committed burglaries, she used a fake number plate so she wouldn’t get caught, but when she went to the gold shop, she used her real number plate, so the police had her details, and they tracked her down.
They followed Jennifer to her boyfriend’s house, and although they found nothing inside, they were eventually able to find a stolen chain in her car, as well as her fake license plates.
“That chain is what sank me,” she said.
“So I went to prison for ten years, pregnant with my first and only child.”
Jennifer’s (@jenjen.gomez2.0) has probably left many people open-mouthed as it has racked up over 2.9 million views on the video sharing platform.
TikTok users rushed to the comments section of the video to share their thoughts.
One person said: “I couldn’t listen to this because this happened to me, all my jewelry was stolen.
“It still hurts to this day. The personal damage is unforgivable.”
A second person said: “That’s wild… we need a movie of your life….”
A third person said: “What an interesting life you have lived.”
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