Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Actress Keira Knightley left shaken after £1.3million flat ransacked by burglars

By MAIL ONLINE SHOWBIZ REPORTER

'Violated': Keira Knightley, pictured in Rome last week, has been left shaken after her £1.3 million London flat was burgled


Fiercely private Keira Knightley was left shaken after her London home was ransacked by burglars.

The Atonement star's £1.3million central London flat was broken into by thieves, who went through her belongings and stole two laptops worth £2000.

Detectives are concerned the thieves may try to sell personal contents from the computers.

Miss Knightley, who has been in Rome promoting her Last Night, was not at home at the time of the break-in, but is said to be 'mortified' at the idea of strangers going through her belongings, as senior police source says.

The police source told the Sun: 'She feels violated and doesn't know if she wants to return to the flat.'

The thieves, who targeted two other homes in the upmarket Mayfair block, gained entry through a broken communal door before forcing entry to the luxury flat the actress shares with her brother Caleb.

Police, who do not believe the 25-year-old was targeted because of her fame, are waiting for Miss Knightley to return from holiday to assist them with enquiries.


Nervous: Two laptops were stolen from the central London home, leaving the actress fearful that private contents could be sold


A Scotland Yard spokesperson says: 'Officers from Westminster CID are investigating a residential burglary at the flat.

'It is believed to have occurred between 9am and 9pm on October 26.
'A forensic team from Westminster CID was dispatched to dust for any fingerprints or shoe marks left behind.'

A builder working at the central London residence told the Sun that the building owners had failed to fix the faulty door.


Shaken: Keira and her boyfriend Rupert Friend (pictured near their London home in 2007) were not at home. She is currently on holiday


He said: 'There's been a problem with the external communal door.
'It keeps sticking and you can push it open. I think the problem has been reported to the owners of the building but not fixed.

Miss Knightley has had problems with stalkers in the past. Marek Daniluk, a 41-year-old Polish man, was arrested in February for harassment without violence outside the Comedy Theatre, where Knightley was appearing in The Misanthrope.

He appeared at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court in June, but walked free after the actress was unavailable to testify against the alleged stalker.

Keira has expressed concern over stalkers several times, saying she chooses to spend most of her time in the US because of her fears of obsessive fans.

source: dailymail