Marco Pierre White Jr has been remanded in custody after admitting four counts of burglary and one count of criminal damage, with a court told that up to £44,000 worth of rare fossils and crystals may have been damaged during a recent crime spree in West London.
The 30-year-old, who is the son of chef Marco Pierre White, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court via video-link from HMP Wandsworth for a case management hearing on Wednesday. Prosecutors said White broke into several shops across Kensington, Notting Hill, Pimlico and Barnes in June and July and took electronic devices, toys and crystal formations.
Prosecutor Chris Harper told the court that on June 12 White entered La Piccola, an Italian deli in Kensington and Chelsea, and stole a laptop, a tablet, an iPod and a till tray. Three days later, on June 15, he forced entry to Venusrox on All Saints Road in Notting Hill and stole two natural rock crystal formations. On June 19 he took two green fluorite crystal lamp towers from Dale Rogers Ammonite on Pimlico Road, a shop described in court papers as "London's home of rare fossils, decorative minerals and exquisite crystals." On July 21 he broke into a store on Barnes High Street and stole about £1,500 worth of Jellycat toys.
White has admitted the four burglaries and the count of criminal damage linked to the Pimlico Road offence, but he disputes the prosecution's estimate that up to £44,000 of damage was caused at Dale Rogers Ammonite by the destruction of "four mounted crystals" and the front door. Defence counsel Graham Logan told the court that White has not received material uploaded on September 2 and that limitations of the video-link hindered detailed discussion of the figures.
Logan said lawyers were "hopeful a resolution can be reached" and requested a meeting with his client at Wandsworth to examine the documentation. The defence indicated that, because of the valuation dispute, it may be necessary to hold a Newton hearing — a trial of issue to resolve disputed facts relevant to sentencing — before the court can proceed to sentence.
Judge Edward Connell remanded White in custody and ordered him to appear by video-link on October 15, saying he expected the parties to be ready to either fix a Newton hearing or set a sentencing date. "I expect there to be discussions prior to the hearing about the dispute of the valuation," the judge added.
White, who has previously appeared on the reality show Celebrity Big Brother, has a history of run-ins with the law. Court records show that in 2016 he was spared jail for using an ex-partner's bank card to spend about £2,500; the purchases were later sold to fund drugs, according to earlier reporting. In 2019 he was convicted of racially abusing a police officer while intoxicated, an incident described in court reports as occurring when he was "drunk as a skunk." He is reported to be of no fixed address.
The case returns to Isleworth Crown Court on October 15, when the court will determine whether a Newton hearing is required to resolve the disputed valuation or whether a sentencing date can be fixed. The charges stem from offences that occurred in June and July and were the subject of admissions entered ahead of the recent hearing.