Harrods worker who stole £15,000 of designer handbags escapes jail by blaming cost of living crisis
A HARRODS worker who stole more than £15,000 worth of designer goods avoided jail — by blaming the cost of living.
Marco Taffoni, 29, swiped at least six Bottega Veneta handbags while working as a stockroom controller at the London department store.
A court heard he was struggling as his rent had gone up and he was supporting a jobless pal — so Judge Sarah Paneth handed down a suspended jail term.
She told Taffoni at Isleworth crown court: “London is a very expensive place and you could not make ends meet.
“I have every confidence this will not be repeated. I very much hope that I’m not wrong about this.”
Taffoni had lost his job with Italian fashion house Fendi before going to work at the Bottega Veneta concession in Harrods in Knightsbridge.
He was caught walking out with a handbag, hidden in a sealed carrier bag inside his backpack.
He confessed to police he had stolen others from the store between November 2023 and July 2024, making £5,000 by selling them online.
Taffoni, of Barnet, North London, admitted theft. He was ordered to pay £11,740 compensation by September.