Massive fraud was a ‘reward for me being me’
Her barrister said if she was guilty of anything, it was "honest greed".
But the Goldman Sachs secretary, who wore a different designer outfit to court nearly every day, said it was simply a "reward for me being me", a multi-million pound gesture from grateful bosses only too happy to repay her loyalty and discretion by sharing their wealth with her.
It was only after her arrest at work and a lengthy police investigation that the full extent of her dishonesty emerged. When police called at the home De-Laurey shared with her husband and six-year-old son Max, in North Cheam, Surrey, they had no real idea what they would find. Certainly, the new Saab convertible in the driveway, two new luxury bathrooms, a recently-installed and very expensive kitchen, a solid maple bed and a lounge complete with two cream leather sofas only months old, hinted at a standard of living beyond the basic salaries of a secretary and chauffeur.
The gold Cartier watch gleaming on Anthony De-Laurey's wrist was more of a giveaway.
Any remaining doubts were swept away minutes later when officers found box after box of gem-encrusted creations from the top jewellers in London's Sloane Street.
A number of the glittering creations necklaces, rings and even more watches costing £137,000 had not even been unwrapped.
It was later discovered jewellery worth £186,000 had been given away, while two orders, valued at £50,000, were still being processed while she was on remand in Holloway Prison.
The Crown said she had bought such trinkets as "if it was going out of fashion".
But when her husband, who had dismissed their lifestyle as just "reasonable", was asked to explain the diamond-encrusted collection, he replied: "She's Indian; all Indian women love jewellery."
When questioned about a bank statement boasting a £2.5 million transfer to Cyprus, he maintained he had never seen it before.
Police also found she had blown £750,000 on the plush Villa Almas, near Paphos in Cyprus. It included a swimming pool and came with a new Range Rover. Furnishings alone cost £500,000.
A further £85,000 had bought a two-storey maisonette nearby.
A string of bank accounts were also tracked down on the island. All were in her maiden name Schahhou, and included a high-yield holding of £1.1m.
Nine property interests emerged in Britain as well. They included a £160,000 home opposite her own for her mother-in-law, a £135,000 place for stepson Mark, £52,000 to pay off her mother's mortgage and £400,000 on unidentified investments. She also bought a house in Essex, and then "rented" it free to a colleague for three years.
Some £50,000 bought helicopter flying lessons for her husband. Two Honda Gold Wing bikes and a vintage Harley Davidson for him cost another fortune.
A family holiday in Goa, India, and a string of short breaks in Italy swallowed more cash.
But by far their best vacation while she was supposedly having a cancer-induced hysterectomy was a five-figure "junket" at the Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills. She, her husband, son and three relatives spent two weeks wallowing in the unashamed luxury of southern California's only AAA Five-Diamond and Mobil Five-Star establishment. Like everything else, the estimated £10,000 bill was paid with stolen cash.
Staff at a hotel in Paphos the bill came to £11,000 while she was villa hunting thought she was a City high-flyer, a belief bolstered by her son's registration form for the town's International School describing his mother as a banker and his father as a businessman.
She dished out £175,000 for an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish for her husband's birthday. She paid a £5,000 deposit but was arrested before she could keep a factory appointment to give builders his leg measurements and trim preferences.
A similar fate befell her hopes for a £150,000 Jeanneau Prestige 36 boat. She paid a 50% deposit for the 30-knot, diesel-driven four-berther. Had she remained free, the balance would have followed delivery in Cyprus.
The scale of her deceit also allowed her to play the philanthropist, with two £10,000 donations to charity, as well as lots of largesse for friends at work.
Largest loser Edward Scott Mead was at Wimbledon with his wife one day when he came face to face with his trusted PA.
Back at the office next morning, he asked what she had been doing there. She replied she had won some tickets in a competition.
De-Laurey also hoped to fly a group of friends first-class to Memphis, Tennessee, for the Lewis-Tyson boxing clash. She bought the tickets, but a remand cell at Holloway Prison floored her plans.
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