A woman who was dubbed the 'langoustine lifter' after stealing £200 worth of shellfish from outside a Michelin star restaurant has avoided prison.
Ekaterina Frolova, 46, was convicted last month for the theft and was fined a total of £350.
CCTV posted online last year showed a woman grabbing a box of langoustines that had been delivered and left outside a high-end restaurant called Elystan Street in Chelsea, London.
The footage was shared online by furious chef Phil Howard, who owns the restaurant, after discovering the day's shellfish delivery had vanished.
Calling the person responsible a 'low-life scum bag', he raged on Instagram in November: 'Caught stealing our precious langoustines this morning – you low-life scum bag. Hope you rot in hell with your other hard working mates.'
Restaurant staff said the missing delivery contained around £200 of high-quality langoustines intended for the restaurant's lunch service.
More footage then emerged of similar incidents in the area – including a theft at upmarket florist Petals at Bibendum that is just a short walk from the restaurant.
The Metropolitan Police said today that Frolova, of Lucan Place, pleaded guilty to theft and burglary charges related to both the restaurant and the florist in December last year.
CCTV captured the woman, dressed in jeans and what appear to be slippers, walking up to the front of Elystan Street and stealing a box of langoustines
The missing delivery contained around £200 of high-quality langoustines intended for the restaurant's lunch service
She was remanded in custody and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' court on January 5, where she was fined £350.
As well as the thefts from the florist and the restaurant, Frolova admitted to theft from a pharmacy on Beauchamp Place and another theft from a pharmacy six days later.
Speaking previously, Max Cansdale, who has co-owned Petals at Bibendum for five years, said theft was hitting his business hard.
He said: 'All that can be done for small businesses that face this shoplifting epidemic is to put preventative measures in place.
'All of our products are now secured with fishing wire – so if you pick something up and run off with it...that won't work because you won't be able to tug on it, you'll be stuck and then a staff member will confront you.
'We've got a security guard and at night my team spend a lot more time packing away the whole shop completely away from the gate.
'Even if you had a two-metre broom pushed through the gate, you wouldn't hook anything.
'It's a lot more work for the team. We have team members that come in half an hour earlier to open up, they work later so that they can pack away.'
The footage was posted online by furious chef Phil Howard, who owns the restaurant (pictured), after discovering the day's shellfish delivery had vanished
Elystan Street general manager Becky McLaughlin told the BBC after the theft: 'It’s just somebody that is clearly trying their luck and doesn’t really realise the impact something small to them has on an independent restaurant.
'There is a massive domino effect and it’s a cost that now just has to be swallowed.
'I don't know what they'll do with them but they'll have a very lovely supper,' she said, noting the woman clearly read the label on the box.
'You can tell in the footage that she can see what's written on the box, the contents of what's inside it, and if they were smart then they would know how much it was worth.'
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Ekaterina Frolova of Lucan Place appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 15 December 2025 where she pleaded guilty to theft and burglary.'
The Met added that she was arrested on 12 December and was remanded in custody.
