Richard Hammond and wife suspect gas used during brazen robbery of France holiday home

September 3, 2018

Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond and his family believe they were gassed by a pair of thieves during a brazen robbery in France last month.

The family's San Tropez villa was ransacked and the rooms of their 15 guests were rifled through just days into their trip, the Daily Express reports.

Hammond's wife, Mindy, recalled how she woke up in the middle of the night after hearing a sound and went downstairs to investigate but returned to bed after believing it was a guest. 

"The real horror story for me was that the night before we were late to bed and I heard a door downstairs shut. I thought, 'That's a bit bizarre', and decided I had to check it," she said.

Ms Hammond said she went into a hallway, where a door into the living room was shut, and heard the voice of one of the burglars from behind the door.

"That just makes my blood run cold. I could have easily walked in and it could have been unpleasant."

Anaesthetic gas has been reported previously in the area, including suspected victim Jenson Button, a Formula 1 driver.

She said the group realised something was amiss when, the day after the raid, Hammond called to ask if Mindy and the others had checked their purses.

"I thought back on it and realised it was odd, because the fist thing I noticed when I woke up was our bedroom door was open, as was everybody else's.

"I'm pretty convinced we must have been gassed or something, because they were in all of the bedrooms – they went where they wanted, into each room, opening and closing the drawers, searching through handbags."

Mindy said the neighbouring property had also been burgled in the middle of the night.

Police were called, and the two burglars were arrested within 48 hours of the incident after they were caught on CCTV.

SHARE ME

More Stories