The 'magpie-like' thief who posed as a house sitter

From the outside, Ariana Rose appeared to be a woman who lived a lavish lifestyle, driving expensive cars and wearing designer clothes.

But in reality the 40-year-old was a con artist, posing as a house sitter to steal from unsuspecting homeowners, taking silverware, jewellery and even in one case, a Le Creuset Balti pan.

The "magpie-like" thief would not only steal from her victims, targeting those who appeared wealthy with big homes, police said, but in one case made a family dinner and cake when they returned from holiday.

Rose, from London, splashed out on lobster and champagne at luxury hotel Claridge's, in Mayfair, while living a life beyond her means.

Travelling up and down the country in rented BMW's, Rose stole from houses in Warwickshire, Hampshire, Somerset, and Suffolk between July and October.

She used online platform Trusted Housesitters to target her victims - pocketing valuables worth £35,000 in Shipston-on-Stour and Southam, in Warwickshire,

Her thefts included a £15,000 tennis bracelet, Christmas ornaments which the owner had been collecting for 27 years as a family tradition, champagne, war medals and a CBE medal that had belonged to the owner's grandfather.

Officers found some of the stolen items still on her, three months later, when they stopped her on the motorway in November to arrest her.

Inside her car they discovered designer sunglasses, cash, multiple items of jewellery, a Rolex watch and a parcel containing fake US dollars.

Det Con Adam Stather, from Warwickshire Police, said at that time, the force arrested her for one incident but digital forensics identified further victims who had not yet realised their items were missing.

"We knew if we let her go she would disappear. It was all hands to deck to get her remanded," he added.

"It was clear that she was stealing for financial gain - but she was also stealing because she liked some of the stuff - like a magpie.

"It's really rare for the loot to still be on the person. She could have pawned or sold things but certain things she kept for herself. "

A spokesperson for Trusted Housesitters said Rose used fake identities to bypass their verification checks.

Her activity was spotted on several occasions and she was removed from the platform before she found a way through, they added.

"Examples of this nature are extremely rare but, when they happen, we act swiftly to remove individuals from the platform and, where necessary, work with the police," the spokesperson said.

Her crimes though did not begin there as Rose waged a 10-year "campaign of dishonest behaviour", a judge at Southwark Crown Court said, as he ordered her to to pay more than £65,000 in compensation to her victims.

She was first jailed in 2008 for fraud after carrying out unauthorised transactions which mounted up to £60,000 while working at Barclays Bank.

In 2011, she was jailed again for 20 months for defrauding prospective tenants by advertising flats for rent online when she had no authority to do so.

Rose staged viewings and drew up fake contracts, taking deposits and rental payments from three victims in the sum of £4,180.

A few years later, she used a fake email address to illegally sublet a two-bedroom flat in Salford Quays, Manchester, to three different people.

The tenants believed landlord David Lederer had authorised her to do so, using the email address to pressure tenants and discourage them from continuing to ask for their money back.

One of those victims, Aoibheann Alliot, paid Rose £4,340 between October 2016 and March 2017.

She described Rose as "controlling and irrational", refusing to let her have guests over and restricting the times at which she could use the kitchen or shower.

Rose received a total of £30,337 from apparent rental payments over the time she was living at Lederer's flat, the court was told.

The landlord issued a notice of possession against Rose in August 2017 and she stopped paying rent, eventually moving out 10 months later.

The court heard she left the flat "untidy and dirty", along with evidence of her being in debt.

Property administrator Caroline Tyrrell-Evans later launched a private prosecution against Rose after she occupied a flat in Ladbroke Grove, west London, for 15 months between 2023 and 2025 – building up £43,400 in rental arrears.

Rose left the flat in December, also leaving it it in a "filthy" state, with "large amounts of evidence of lavish living".

Bank statements from her account also showed that, between January 2024 and June 2024, Rose received an income of £7,400 in separate payments with the reference "rent" – suggesting she had also sublet the Ladbroke Grove property.

Rose was sentenced to five years in prison for multiple offences including theft, fraud, using a false tenancy agreement, and perverting the course of justice.

Judge Nicholas Rimmer ordered her to pay more than £65,692 in compensation to her victims over three years.

He told her: "Yours was a campaign of dishonest behaviour spanning nearly a decade, with offences in 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

"The impact of your offences was considerable and it was extensive.

"I am left in no doubt that you caused your victims very real, serious upset and distress."

Stather said he was glad his force had managed to catch Rose in what had been a complex investigation.

"A lot of work that went in by the team to identify these victims and clearly there's more out there," he added.

Additional reporting by PA Media