Knightsbridge boutique boss, 63, 'conned out of 1.3million by runaway heiress'

Over the decades, her high-end fashion boutique in Knightsbridge has counted Princess Diana, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ava Gardner among its clientele.

But Bridget Hutchcroft, owner of Pandora Dress Agency near Harrods, rues the day a seemingly wealthy and charming 'heiress' waltzed through her door – and ended up swindling her out of £1.3million.

Ms Hutchcroft, 63, told the Mail how she was betrayed by Ekaterina Barrett, 67, who befriended her then convinced her she urgently needed to borrow money to see her through a costly divorce.

The case has echoes of Anna Sorokin, the inspiration behind Netflix drama Inventing Anna, who funded her luxurious lifestyle by posing as a wealthy German heiress to con New York's high society.

'Ekaterina never fully explained where her money came from but having visited her apartment in Monaco, I did believe that she had this huge trust fund that she told me about,' said Ms Hutchcroft. 

Bridget Hutchcroft, 63, told the Mail how she was betrayed by Ekaterina Barrett (pictured), 67, who befriended her then convinced her she urgently needed to borrow money to see her through a costly divorce

Bridget Hutchcroft (pictured), owner of Pandora Dress Agency near Harrods, rues the day a seemingly wealthy and charming 'heiress' waltzed through her door – and ended up swindling her out of £1.3million

'She really is uncannily similar to Anna Sorokin, except Ekaterina hasn't been caught yet.'

Last year a High Court judge ruled that Ms Barrett must hand over £1.6million to Ms Hutchcroft to repay the loan and cover legal costs after she failed to honour an agreement to pay back the money.

But Ms Hutchcroft has now had to hire private investigators to track down the 'heiress' as not a penny has yet been handed over.

'She could be anywhere. Some people I know say they saw her recently around Mayfair, but I expect she's living permanently in Monaco,' she said.

Ms Barrett looked the part when she began visiting Pandora boutique in 2017. She mingled with London's elite in exclusive restaurants, lived in a £4.2million Mayfair flat and was driven around town in a Bentley.

Over the decades, the boutique in Knightsbridge has counted Princess Diana (pictured), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ava Gardner among its clientele

She told Ms Hutchcroft that her grandfather had set up 'a substantial trust for her in Liechtenstein' but she temporarily could not access the funds, according to documents filed at the High Court.

A few months into their friendship, Ms Barrett sobbed that she was going through a costly divorce and asked to borrow money.

Her bank manager provided assurances to Ms Hutchcroft that her wealth was 'equivalent to a Rothschild', the court heard. But Ms Hutchcroft began having doubts after realising how much she had lent her friend.

She said: 'I just got to a point where I had to sit down and work out actually how much I'd given her over the year, and I was shocked at how much I'd allowed this person to take.

'I phoned her and said, 'You've got to pay me Ekaterina.' And she said, 'The next time you ask I'll not pay you for a hundred years.' I was just so upset. I trusted her, ridiculously so.' 

To her horror, Ms Hutchcroft then learned that Ms Barrett had previously been convicted of fraud in Austria.

She contacted Scotland Yard but officers refused to investigate, saying it was a civil matter.

Then she filed a claim in the High Court, where Ms Barrett denied borrowing the cash, claiming the payments were for the sale of designer clothes. The case was settled before trial when Ms Barrett agreed to pay £1.4million.

But when she failed to pay up, Ms Hutchcroft returned to court and secured a judge's ruling that she must pay £1.6million.

Ms Barrett is an Azerbaijani national who was born in Ukraine in 1956 as Ekaterina Svetikova. She married British artist Mitchel Barrett in 2000 and they moved to Vienna, Austria.

But four years later, she was convicted of fraud after posing as an oil firm agent to con victims into loaning her 200,000 euros.

Her passport was confiscated and she was banned from entering Austria for almost a decade.

Mr Barrett, now her former husband, said: 'I'd been warned by friends to get away from her. The next thing I knew was the police came to our apartment and arrested her.' When asked about her fraud conviction, Ms Barrett's lawyers denied she had been arrested. Faced with evidence, they admitted the conviction but claimed it had been overturned.

Ms Hutchcroft believes Ms Barrett owns the apartment in Monaco, which is now on sale for £19.2million. However, Ms Barrett denies she is the property's owner and said she is a UK tax resident.

A representative said Ms Barrett had not admitted any liability by reaching a settlement with Ms Hutchcroft, that the legal proceedings were 'ongoing' and she would comply with court orders 'in so far as she is able'.

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