A wealthy businesswoman and her partner allegedly staged a £350,000 burglary at her £900,000 townhouse to commit insurance fraud before she fled to Barbados, a court has heard.
Emma O'Shea, 46, is accused of attempting to defraud her insurance provider after luxury jewellery, designer handbags, and cash were reportedly stolen during a planned raid on her Hampshire home. Prosecutors claim her then-boyfriend, Dean Ryan, enlisted two accomplices to carry out the burglary while the couple was away.
It is alleged that the couple plotted to mislead the insurer by smashing a window after the break-in to suggest forced entry. According to the prosecution, O'Shea later fled to Barbados to avoid testifying against Ryan. When he faced trial, O'Shea’s absence reportedly caused the case to collapse.
O'Shea is now facing charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, perverting the course of justice, and attempted witness intimidation. Her mother, Sarah O'Shea, 69, stands accused of encouraging her daughter to stay in the Caribbean, a charge she denies.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s alleged accomplices—Matthew Lowden, 33, and Gary Cleeve, 45—also deny charges of conspiracy to commit burglary.
A staged burglary
The court heard that Ryan moved into O'Shea’s Southsea townhouse after they began dating in 2021. On March 20, 2022, an eight-minute burglary took place while the couple was out, with Cleeve allegedly entering the property and Lowden waiting outside in a van.
Prosecutor Dale Sullivan told jurors that O'Shea was alerted to the break-in via her Ring doorbell. Footage allegedly showed a masked man, identified as Cleeve, using ladders from the garden to access a window. Concerned, O'Shea contacted both the police and her housekeeper, Wioletta Krol, who found the window open but intact.
According to the prosecution, O'Shea and Ryan later agreed to smash the window to support their insurance claim, as the policy only covered theft involving forced entry.
Targeted heist
Sullivan described the burglary as "targeted," stating that the burglars knew precisely where to find valuable items, including rare Tanzanite diamonds and cash. The safe was opened, emptied, and cash from the master bedroom was taken, while other rooms remained untouched.
Following the burglary, Ryan allegedly met with Lowden and Cleeve at an angling club, where internet searches about Tanzanite diamond values were conducted. By April 2022, all three men had been arrested.
Trial disruption and intimidation allegations
In July 2023, Ryan, Lowden, and Cleeve were scheduled to stand trial. O'Shea and her housekeeper were set to testify, but O'Shea failed to attend, claiming she was on holiday in France. It later emerged she was in Barbados, having allegedly lied to UK authorities, saying she was in the South Pacific.
Prosecutors allege O'Shea contacted Krol’s daughter, threatening, “You won’t get another penny,” in an attempt to intimidate Krol into not testifying. Sullivan said O'Shea’s actions “frustrated” the trial, leading to its collapse.
O'Shea was arrested at Heathrow Airport in August 2023 upon returning to the UK. It was revealed that she had been in communication with Ryan while he was in custody, with her mother urging her to stay abroad during the trial.
Prosecutors claim O'Shea's ongoing loyalty to Ryan was evident in their messages, with Sullivan concluding that her actions were a deliberate attempt to shield him from justice.
The trial, expected to last four weeks, continues.
