Inside the Brazen Burglary of Peppa Pig Creator's £10M Mansion by Notorious Art Thieves

A Surrey mansion belonging to Peppa Pig co-creator Mark Baker was burgled while he and his wife were away for 90 minutes. Two Romanian men who had previously served prison time over the 2012 Kunsthal art heist broke into Baker's £10M home on Valentine's Day, stealing luxury items worth about £65,000.

Radu Dogaru, 41, and Adrian Alempi, 34, were sentenced at Inner London Crown Court after admitting their roles in the burglary. Alempi was sentenced to five years in prison, while Dogaru received a four-year sentence. Alempi also pleaded guilty to illegally entering the UK after previously being deported.

A 90-Minute Window Was All They Needed

Baker and his wife left their home at around 7 p.m. on 14 February 2026 and returned about 90 minutes later to find it ransacked. The 12,500-square-foot property reportedly has six bedrooms, a swimming pool, a gym, spa facilities, staff accommodation, a cinema, and garages for four cars. The couple had locked the doors but had not properly activated the alarm before leaving.

Recorder Joanne Cecil KC told the court that the burglars entered and exited through a first-floor window. They were later seen at Claygate Station carrying bags, including a Louis Vuitton suitcase taken from the property. 'The value of the stolen items was £65,000,' Cecil told the hearing, according to The Sun. The haul included jewellery, a Rolex watch, Chanel handbags, and other designer luggage.

The Burglary Took an Emotional Toll

The break-in also left Baker's wife fearful about leaving the house. Cecil told the court that Mrs. Baker became worried she could return to find the property burgled again and kept the alarm activated.

'She screamed when her husband came up behind her wearing dark clothes as she thought he was a burglar,' Cecil said, according to reports. The judge also said the stolen items had sentimental value to Mrs. Baker: 'She has memories of where they were bought and things she has done with them.'

Their Past Included a Major Art Heist

Dogaru and Alempi had earlier been convicted of the 2012 Kunsthal art heist in Rotterdam. The overnight raid saw works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, Lucian Freud, and Meyer de Haan stolen from the gallery. The works were insured for about €18.1M (roughly £14.6M at the time), according to reports. The paintings have never been recovered.

Dogaru was sentenced to six years in Romania over the Kunsthal theft. Alempi was likewise convicted in connection with the case.

Three Days Later, Another Kingston Home Was Hit

The Baker burglary was followed by another break-in three days later. On 17 February, Dogaru and Alempi targeted a large property in Kingston while its owner was away. A security alert notified the owner of activity at the house, and he checked the cameras before contacting neighbours and police.

The pair removed a safe containing jewellery, gold bars, cash in pounds, dollars, and euros, passports, and other valuables. They later took the safe to a wooded area, where it was opened. Police arrested the men as they attempted to leave by bus. A subsequent search of Dogaru's home uncovered items stolen from Baker's property.