Jail for sisters who stole over £80,000 of items from airport duty-free shops

Two sisters who stole high-value perfumes, make-up and other cosmetics from duty-free shops in airports, estimated to be worth at least £80,000, have been jailed.

Laura Epitropou, 45, and Georgina Epitropou, 42, stole the majority of the items from Gatwick Airport, selling them either via online marketplaces or direct to specific purchasers. Bank records showed that sales totalled around £40,000 in a conspiracy over a 10-month period up to September 2022. 

Laura took 21 flights from London Gatwick during this period, mainly to Edinburgh, with her sister joining in on later flights. Messages between the pair showed that, on one occasion, they stole 73 items worth almost £8,000. 

The pair from Crawley, Sussex, were arrested boarding a flight to Belfast from Gatwick and stolen items totalling almost £2,000 were found in their suitcase.   

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.”