Residents say they were targeted after appearing in TV show Ted Lasso – with one £3.3million property used by Hannah Waddingham’s character raided by suspected professional criminals
A gang is being hunted by detectives after a £2million raid on flash homes featured in TV show Ted Lasso.
Luxury houses were ransacked in London’s Richmond Green, The Sun reported last night. Residents say they were targeted after appearing in the comedy starring Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham. Four homes, including a £3.3million property used by Hannah Waddingham’s character, were raided by suspected professional criminals.
Police are linking the break-ins, which they believe were carried out by a team of professional burglars from South America. Victims include rock star Richard Ashcroft, who had about £1million of valuables stolen. Residents suspect the gang was attracted to the multimillion-pound homes around Richmond Green after seeing them in the Apple TV+ series.
One said: “It’s devastating. People are terrified they are going to be hit next.” An eight-bedroom home was the first to be raided, on November 2. The burglars stole a safe containing valuables including jewellery. The traumatised tenants then moved out, according to neighbours.
Early last month, raiders tried to break into a home used in Ted Lasso by Hannah’s businesswoman character Rebecca Welton. But the occupants were woken and the suspects fled, leaving a ladder in the garden. A four-bed house nearby was then trashed on December 18.
A bolted-down safe, said to contain about £400,000 of jewellery, was taken. The occupants had only just left, raising suspicions they were being watched. Then, on December 29, The Verve star Richard Ashcroft and musician wife Kate Radley had their £8million home ransacked while they were away.
A neighbour called the police when alarms went off but the raiders left by the time officers came. The estimated £1million of items stolen included a Patek Philippe watch. Some locals believe the gang targeted the area thanks to the hugely popular Ted Lasso series, which stars Jason Sudeikis as a US coach managing fictional London side AFC Richmond.
Much of it is set around Richmond Green, featuring listed Georgian buildings, luxurious homes, quaint pubs, cafés and shops. Met Temporary Det Supt Dan O’Sullivan said: “We are aware of a number of burglaries in the Richmond Green area and are taking proactive steps to deter offenders and reassure residents.
“Enquiries are ongoing. It is believed that some of the break-ins may be linked.”