A woman, Shahra Marsh, has been jailed for six years for bouncing cheques in Europe’s top auction houses.

She also tricked landlords into renting her luxurious flats in Belgravia, Chelsea, Mayfair and Canary Wharf.

During their investigation, police discovered jewellery worth £770,000 stashed in a safe deposit box as well as over £1 million worth of stolen art, antiques and jewellery in a storage facility in east London.

Southwark Crown Court was told that Marsh befriended auction staff and gave champagne to assistants to gain their trust.

Marsh’s barrister Michael House said Marsh was born in Iran to an aristocratic French mother. Her father was a courtier to the Shah of Persia and a member of his parliament.

He added: ‘They were a rich and prosperous family living in Tehran. Miss Marsh grew up surrounded by beautiful things and she was in a position to have almost anything she wanted in terms of jewellery.’

Marsh admitted 20 charges of fraudulently obtaining and concealing goods between 2005 and 2007. She previously admitted 18 similar counts at earlier court appearances.

‘This woman amassed a vast quantity of stolen property through complex and protracted criminal methods,’ said detective constable Marek Coghill.

Posted: 10|6|08 at 3:47 pm. Filed under: UK News.