Sisters Ordered to Repay £220k After Gatwick Airport Theft Spree

Published: 18 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Two sisters from Crawley, West Sussex, have been ordered to repay nearly £220,000 under UK proceeds‑of‑crime laws after carrying out a series of thefts targeting duty‑free shops at Gatwick Airport. The confiscation order, made at Lewes Crown Court, follows the women’s convictions over an organised spree that saw them steal high‑value perfumes and cosmetics and sell the stolen goods for profit.

Laura Epitropou, 45, and her sister, Georgina Epitropou, 42, were jailed for two and a half years each in September 2024 after admitting conspiracy to steal. Prosecutors said the pair targeted duty‑free outlets over a period of around ten months, stealing goods worth about £80,000 by booking internal UK flights to access shops within the airport’s secure areas.

At the confiscation hearing this week, the court imposed a payment order under the Proceeds of Crime Act requiring the sisters to repay the profits of their criminal activity, reflecting both the value of the goods taken and the benefits they gained from selling them. Laura Epitropou must pay £182,090.99 within one month, while Georgina Epitropou has three months to pay £37,487.85. If they fail to meet the repayment deadlines, the court warned, they could face additional prison time.

Investigators from Gatwick CID previously described how the sisters used a combination of distraction and planning to remove bottles of perfume and boxes of cosmetics from duty‑free shelves, later selling them online and privately. Police discovered their scheme after stopping the women with stolen items while they were boarding a flight from Gatwick to Belfast.

The case highlights how UK authorities can pursue not just criminal sentences but financial orders to strip offenders of ill‑gotten gains and deter organised theft — especially in major transport hubs where high‑value goods are a frequent target.

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