A suspected shoplifter was arrested just minutes after stepping off a plane at Gatwick Airport.

Margarita Clementi was detained following an investigation into the theft of more than £2,000 worth of handbags from John Lewis at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Greenhithe.

It is alleged that three Coach handbags were stolen from the department store during separate incidents on August 9, 2024, and April 23 this year.

A further theft at John Lewis in Cambridge on April 11, when another two bags were reportedly stolen along with a pepper mill set, is also being linked.

The total value of all the stolen items was said to be more than £2,000.

On Wednesday (June 4), Clementi, of St Johns Avenue, Brent, London, was arrested by Kent Police officers as she approached the arrivals hall at Gatwick.

The 37-year-old was later charged with three counts of theft.

She has been bailed, with conditions, to appear before Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on July 7.