Man admits stealing safe with Chinese TV star Liu Tao’s jewels from Copenhagen hotel room
The Chinese actress was in Denmark doing promotional work for the shoe brand Ecco
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 09 December, 2015, 1:17pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 09 December, 2015, 1:17pm
Agence France-Presse in Copenhagen
Chinese TV star Liu Tao. Photo: Xinhua
A Polish man has admitted to stealing a safe full of jewels, watches and cash worth about US$625,000 from Chinese TV star Liu Tao, after breaking into her Copenhagen hotel room.
The 33-year old man used “a metal tool” to break into the room at the First Hotel Kong Frederik in Copenhagen before leaving with the safe, Copenhagen police confirmed.
At a custody hearing the man said he was “very ashamed” of what he did and that he had not been aware of who was staying in the room.
Pleading guilty, he argued that there had been 1,900 kroner (US$277) less in cash than stated in the indictment.
The First Hotel Kong Frederik in Copenhagen. Photo: SCMP Picture
The man was arrested in the southern port of Rodbyhavn as he prepared to board a ferry to Germany.
Liu was in Denmark to work with Danish shoe brand Ecco, for which she does promotional work in China.
The jewellery and watches “were not something she used in our photo shoot”, an Ecco spokeswoman said.
“She is very well known and has a broad following on social media.”
Liu wrote about the incident on the Chinese social media network Weibo, posting on December 8: “Although terrified for 24 hours... I still love this fairy-tale country.”
She thanked Danish police, as well as the Chinese embassy in Denmark and the Danish embassy in Beijing.
“Thanks and greetings to all friends, everything is going well with me, and I will leave soon.”
