Haute couture crime: third person charged with robbery of fashion designer Trelise Cooper

A third person will be charged for a robbery of $ 500,000 at fashion designer Dame Trelise Cooper’s styling salon in Auckland.

Last week, police arrested two people after a search warrant at the center
Auckland following the robbery at Cooper’s Newmarket headquarters last month.

A 41-year-old man was charged with theft and appeared in court last Friday and was granted provisional name removal.

Today, a 45-year-old woman appeared in Auckland District Court.

Described as a florist in her indictment document, she pleaded not guilty to receiving stolen property and was granted provisional name expungement and bail by Judge Ajit Swaran Singh.

The court also heard from a third person, a woman, who will be charged in connection with the robbery and will appear in court next week.

When police made the first two arrests last week, Detective Sergeant Major Kathy Bostock said the investigation was ongoing and could not rule out the possibility of further arrests and charges.

The 41-year-old man is due to appear in court again next month, while the 45-year-old woman will appear in March.

During last Thursday’s search warrant, police recovered “a significant amount” of the clothing that was to be returned to Cooper.

The famous designer said she was devastated after discovering that around $ 500,000 worth of high-end clothing had been stolen from her sometime after 4 p.m. on October 17.

She said on social media that all of her spring and summer 2021 swatches had disappeared, leaving only “a lonely perch.”

“Along with some of our one-of-a-kind haute couture pieces. 1800 missing samples.”

Speaking to the Herald after the robbery, Cooper said the thief or robbers broke into the styling room through a vent in an electrical room.

“I feel violated. I feel bad for my staff. We have taken it as a kick in the stomach,” she said.

It was the first time their headquarters had been robbed in 25 years, although someone tried unsuccessfully to enter the building 14 years ago, Cooper said.

The building was alarmed and monitored by security guards, but it did not have CCTV.

Cooper, whose designs have been worn by international celebrities, said he was now installing cameras.

He also later told the Herald that he had hired a private investigator.