Shaun Wallace has described how he was targeted by luggage thieves at St Pancras International, claiming crime in London is “out of control” after a bag was taken from a taxi.
The 66-year-old The Chase star, known as the Dark Destroyer, had travelled from Paris after filming an advertisement. He had placed three pieces of luggage in the back of a cab when a man approached him and said he had dropped a card.
Wallace got out to retrieve it, but another person then removed one of his bags from inside the vehicle.
Speaking to a New Zealand radio show, the barrister said the stolen luggage contained his favourite blue suede shoes, Gucci perfume and two car keys, which he had been carrying because he could not find his original keys.
He said the thieves did not appear to recognise him, but described the incident as evidence that crime in the capital had become “out of control”.
The theft comes amid a reported increase in luggage crime around King’s Cross and St Pancras, where the Metropolitan Police has launched a crackdown.
Chief Inspector Dave Hodges said luggage theft, anti-social behaviour, retail crime and homelessness were among the major challenges facing the area.
He said luggage theft was often organised, with offenders watching for distracted tourists before seizing an opportunity.
“Unfortunately they are very good at what they do,” he said. “They are watching… they are looking for luggage and when the opportune moment comes, they are taking it.”
Private chauffeurs are now being trained to protect passengers arriving or leaving outside the two stations. Drivers have described thieves opening car boots after passengers get into vehicles, or striking while clients are tipping them and their bags are briefly unattended.
One chauffeur, Adnan, said drivers were warned to take extra care at King’s Cross because luggage was being taken from vehicles, regardless of whether passengers were television stars, film stars or wealthy individuals.
Wallace is the latest celebrity reported to have been affected by luggage theft at a railway station. In 2025, designer luggage belonging to Brittney, the wife of Formula One world champion Jenson Button, was taken with more than £250,000 worth of handbags and jewellery inside.
The suitcases also contained antique wedding jewellery and sentimental items linked to the birth of her daughter. In a separate incident, jewellery worth £600,000 was stolen from a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family outside St Pancras.
