Jenson Button’s Wife Vows Never to Return to UK After £250,000 St Pancras Theft
The wife of former Formula One world champion Jenson Button has declared she has “no interest” in returning to the UK after a thief stole her suitcase containing £250,000 worth of luxury items and irreplaceable family heirlooms outside London’s St Pancras station.
Brittny Button, 34, was left “traumatized” after the brazen daylight robbery on February 13, when she and her husband returned from a Valentine’s Day getaway in Paris. The stolen Goyard carry-on contained jewellery from her wedding and family heirlooms she had hoped to pass on to her daughter, alongside two Hermès Kelly bags worth approximately £70,000.
Mourad Aid, 41, pleaded guilty to theft at Westminster Magistrates‘ Court on February 19, just six days after the incident. He remains in custody awaiting sentencing.
The Theft That Shocked a Champion
The incident occurred around 12:30 PM as the couple arrived at St Pancras on the Eurostar. While Button, 45, was helping their chauffeur load luggage into their waiting car on Pancras Road, he briefly turned his back on his wife’s pink carry-on suitcase to load his own bag into the front seat.
In those few seconds, Aid swooped in and vanished with the case before either Button or his wife realized what had happened.
“We had no idea until Jenson went, ‘Wait where is your bag?’ And he raced off trying to find it, but he [the thief] was already gone,” Brittny told the Daily Mail in an emotional interview.
The theft left the former Playboy model in tears. “I just started crying, I was a little upset with Jenson because I felt like he kind of dropped the ball a little but it’s not his fault someone was watching us,” she said.
A Pattern of Crime
Disturbingly, this wasn’t the couple’s first experience with theft in London. Brittny revealed that Button had his bag stolen “a few months ago in a car park in London,” adding to their sense that the capital has become increasingly dangerous.
I’m normally pretty cautious when I’m out in public and travelling, but I just didn’t think that there were gangs literally just waiting for people and watching,” she explained.
Swift Police Action
British Transport Police (BTP) responded quickly to the incident. Detectives viewed CCTV footage showing Aid walking into the station with the victim’s case around 12:35 PM and then exiting via the Midland Road exit.
Though the actual moment of theft wasn’t captured on camera, police traced Aid through other investigative methods. CCTV images were circulated among local BTP teams, and one officer recognized him. Plain-clothed officers arrested Aid in the Hatton Garden area on February 17, just four days after the theft.
Detective Sergeant Marc Farmer of British Transport Police described it as a “brazen and opportunistic theft,” praising his team’s quick work in apprehending the suspect.
Irreplaceable Losses
While the monetary value of the stolen items exceeded £250,000, the sentimental loss was even greater for Brittny. The suitcase contained:
- Antique jewellery from her wedding to Button in March 2022
- Heirlooms connected to the birth of their children
- Two Hermès Kelly bags worth £70,000
- Various other designer items and sentimental pieces
“I don’t really have many things from my parents, I don’t really have many family heirlooms and I wish I did. So it’s really heartbreaking,” Brittny explained. She had planned to pass these items down to her daughter.
Adding to her frustration, Brittny spotted her stolen items listed online just days after the robbery. I knew they were mine, because one of the Kelly bags was missing a strap, which I had left in LA,” she said.
London’s Growing Crime Problem
The Button theft highlights London’s escalating crime issues. According to Office for National Statistics figures, Westminster has the highest overall rate of thefts and robberies in the year to December 2024, with 3,752 robberies and 66,623 thefts.
The incident also forms part of a troubling pattern of high-profile thefts targeting Formula One personalities in London:
- In 2019, thieves stole £25 million worth of jewellery from Tamara Ecclestone’s West London home
- In 2021, McLaren driver Lando Norris was robbed of his £144,000 Richard Mille watch at Wembley
- Button himself was previously burgled in 2015 when thieves stole over £300,000 worth of items from his French villa
‘No Interest’ in Returning
The experience has fundamentally changed the Buttons’ perception of the UK capital. “I was kind of shocked. How like unsecure everything felt [in London], just so many people, so chaotic,” Brittny said.
She added: “When we first started dating we would go to London, and it was such like a nice place to be, and now it just feels very kind of dark and scary.”
The couple, who now live in Calabasas, California, with their two children, have made their position clear. “My husband and I, we really have no interest going back to the UK and it’s a shame, because, you know, we will have to go back for family and work.”
Awaiting Justice
While Aid’s guilty plea brought some relief to the couple, the stolen items have not been recovered. The case remains a stark reminder of the vulnerability of even high-profile individuals to opportunistic crime in London’s busiest locations.
As Aid awaits sentencing, the Buttons are left to rebuild their sense of security and mourn the loss of irreplaceable family treasures. For a couple who once enjoyed regular visits to London, the city has become a place they’d rather avoid—a sentiment that speaks volumes about the capital’s current state of public safety.
The British Transport Police continue to urge vigilance at major transport hubs and encourage immediate reporting of suspicious activity to prevent similar incidents.
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[…] Mourad Aid, 41, was sentenced to two years and four months at Inner London Crown Court today after admitting the brazen Valentine’s Day theft outside London’s St Pancras International Station. […]
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