A man who stole £250,000 worth of jewellery and other items from wealthy businesswoman and Jewish charity donor, Patsy Bloom, has been sentenced to eight years in prison at Blackfriars Crown Court.

In May, Ricky Gray, 30, broke in to Ms Bloom’s £3.5 million house in Regent’s Park holding a knife. After making her open her safe, Gray stole an iPad, iPhone, cash and boxes of jewellery, including gold earrings worth £68,000 and a diamond pendant worth £19,000.

Ms Bloom, 72, sold her successful animal insurance company Petplan for £32 million in 1996. She is a frequent donor to many Jewish charities, most recently donating five buses to Jewish Care.