Jewels in deposit box vanished after Mrs Fayed showed interest, court told

A fortune in antique jewels kept in a Harrods safety deposit box disappeared after the wife of the department store's owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, "showed interest in them", the High Court was told yesterday.

The allegation came on the first day of Mr Fayed's damages action for alleged false imprisonment against Scotland Yard detectives investigating the theft and criminal damage of a Harrods safety deposit box belonging to the late businessman Tiny Rowland in 1995.

The High Court was told that Bob Loftus, a former director of security at Harrods, had disclosed another case in which a safety deposit box belonging to Helga Schwarzschild was opened for alleged non-payment of rental fees. Her jewellery allegedly went missing on being taken to Mr Fayed's office, after his wife, Heini, had "shown interest". When a private investigator hired by Ms Schwarzschild contacted Harrods, store officials said they had "no idea" of the jewels' whereabouts, the court was told.

Stephen Miller QC, for the police, said evidence "amply demonstrated" that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Fayed and four associates had committed an offence. Mr Rowland's deposit box was broken into and valuable contents, including emeralds, were stolen.

Mr Fayed and four other current and former employees – John Macnamara, Paul Handley-Greaves, Colin Dalman and John Allen – are claiming damages from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner over alleged false imprisonment in March 1998 during the Rowland investigation.

Their counsel, Ian Croxford QC, told Mr Justice Cresswell, sitting without a jury, that it was "irrelevant" whether Mr Fayed and his associates were a party to opening Mr Rowland's box. Their case was based on whether the police had reasonable grounds to suspect an arrestable offence. The hearing continues.