Formula One boss Ecclestone mugged

[romephius]

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has suffered a head injury when muggers robbed him of jewellery in London, police say, just weeks after he said only "simple" people got attacked in the city.

Robbers punched and kicked the 80-year-old billionaire to the ground after pouncing on him and his girlfriend Fabiana Flosi, 31, outside the headquarters of his business empire, Formula One Holdings, police said.

The four attackers escaped with STG200,000 ($A320,000) worth of jewellery including a watch and diamond rings, the Daily Mail newspaper reported, adding that they had been lying in wait for the couple.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said police were called to the scene in the swanky Knightsbridge area on Wednesday night to "reports of a man and a woman robbed".

"The man was taken to a west London hospital for treatment to a minor head injury and was subsequently discharged. There were no reports of any other injuries," the spokesman said.

"The items stolen are believed to be a quantity of jewellery."

No arrests had been made, the spokesman said.

Ecclestone, the commercial rights holder for motor racing's elite division, compared London to Sao Paolo earlier this month after Formula 1 driver Jenson Button escaped a roadside assault ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

"You have to remember we have a lot of problems in England, Oxford Street and places, and in New York people get mugged," he said.

"They look for victims, they look for people who are a little bit slow and simple, but the people who look a bit bright, they never go after them."

[Dare]

I wonder how much trouble the crooks had in identifying
Bernie as slow and simple looking?I'm betting no trouble at all

[John S]

I hope Bernie is ok after being injured in the attack. I wouldn't wish anyone harm from a mugging or any other attack. However he does seem to have slipped on his own bannana skin over the stupid comments about who may or may not be targetted.

Perhaps now, in his heralded "slow and simple" way, he may think twice about how he conducts himself in the press. I doubt it though as he is probably too damn arrogant to understand his habitual wild generalizations also apply to the likes of him, or could it be senility is playing tricks on him?



  

[cosworth151]

I'm glad that Bernie and his companion suffered no serious harm. Still, this does seem like, in the words of John Lennon, "Instant Karma."

Slow and simple? Slow? How fast is Bernie going to be moving at his age? A prime target for footpads. Simple? How bright does one need to be to know better than to go strolling about with hundreds of thousands worth of swag?

[Jericoke]

With any luck, they knocked some sense into him.

However, I suspect we'll just see an increase in race fees to cover the replacement of the stolen items.

[Ian]

Bernies been mugging F1 and circuits for years, poetic justice, although I don't condone mugging, cut their hands off.

[David]

Early report suggest the attack may have been carried out by members of the HRT team trying to raise funds for 2011. 

On a serious note, I glad to hear Bernie and the missus are OK.

[sprite]

Bernies been mugging F1 and circuits for years, poetic justice, although I don't condone mugging, cut their hands off.

Perhaps the thieves will give the money to one of the struggling teams...ahhh karma

[lkjohnson1950]

They believe the attack was the work of a gang that has been deliberately targeting wealthy people, rather than being a random mugging.

Lonny

[cosworth151]

From Eddie Jordan:

One pitlane insider, while wishing Bernie a swift recovery commented wryly: "Now he knows how grand prix promoters feel when they enter negotiations with him..."

Right on, EJ! 

[Scott]

First of all, I wasn't in London until Thursday morning.  Secondly, no, that's not my auction on eBay for the $150,000 watch.   

I bet the insurance value was a wee bit higher than the purchased value. 
    

[lkjohnson1950]

I'm sure, knowing Bernie, if he has to be mugged, he's going to make a profit somehow.

Lonny