Jenson Button and his wife being gassed by thieves doubted by French police

Home Top

Princess Bea and the Queen of TV: Oprah, Gayle and Disney's Bob Iger party alongside Princess Beatrice on neighboring mega-yachts in Ibiza - the royal's SEVENTEENTH vacation this year
Colorado theater gunman James Holmes AVOIDS the death sentence and is jailed for life without parole for killing 12 and wounding 70 in 2012
The best way to cut a bagel revealed: Scientists say you should slice the snack along the 'Mobius Strip' to add more filling
EXCLUSIVE: And the name of Kim and Kanye's new baby boy is...(Hint: they're going in a different direction!)
Nick Gordon is sued for 'giving Bobbi Kristina a lethal cocktail and putting her face down in a cold bath before laying down with mystery female guest and telling her "I want a pretty little white girl like you"'
Do these aerial images show Iran's last-ditch efforts to hide nuclear weapons? Think tank claims 'incriminating evidence' after sanctions are lifted by Obama
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer says he will oppose President Obama's Iran nuclear deal
The two men behind the $500million Gardner Museum heist are DEAD, authorities reveal one day after releasing never-before-seen surveillance footage of the night before the infamous 1990 robbery
Apple spends $700,000-a-year on security for CEO Tim Cook - but Amazon spends even more protecting Jeff Bezos
Eccentric tech millionaire John McAfee arrested after being caught driving high on Xanax with a gun in his car
PIERS MORGAN: Yes, Donald Trump can be vicious, arrogant, obnoxious and even a little bit evil - which is exactly why a lot of people think he will make a bloody good President
PICTURED: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at his 2005 wedding to Melania - after he says he gave a big donation to family's foundation and she HAD to come
Carly Fiorina makes new waves after shining in second-tier Cleveland debate but loses her cool in 'spin' room at the sound of Trump's name -- and had her own Clinton Foundation love-fest last year
The Donald wins the social media contest: Trump most-talked about candidate in first GOP debate - followed by breakout star Ben Carson
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The more offensive Teflon Don is, the more Americans want to vote for him: How nothing seems to stick to property mogul turned Republican hopeful Donald Trump
Django Unchained actress ordered to REWRITE apology letter to LAPD after her passive-aggressive first draft accused the arresting officer of racially profiling
Woman is killed by Metro North express train while trying to get her pocketbook off the tracks
Is this where life finally died out on Mars? Salt flats could be the last place water survived on the red planet, study finds
Inside Cindy Crawford's fridge: Almond milk, dozens of eggs (and some beers for husband Rande Gerber)
A bespoke Big Mac! McDonald's tests $6 create-your-own gourmet burger in New York City
EXCLUSIVE: Watch out Whoopi! THE VIEW veteran Meredith Vieira is revamping her daytime talk show to turn it into a better version of ABC's struggling flagship - but Arnie's daughter didn't make the cut!
Service dog dials 911 during fire and saves blind owner's life by pulling her from house
$Picture Shows: Amanda Anka, Jason Bateman, Coco Arquette, Courteney Cox, Justin Theroux, Jennifer Aniston, Johnny McDaid August 07, 2015\n \n **MINIMUM WEB USAGE £500**\n \n Actress Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux start their honeymoon and brought along some of their closest friends for the trip in Bora Bora. \n \n The couple wed in a ceremony at their Bel Air home on Wednesday night in front of 75 of their friends and family and apparently decided to keep the party rolling and brought some of them along for their honeymoon! \n \n **MINIMUM WEB USAGE £500**\n \n Exclusive All round\n UK RIGHTS ONLY\n \n Pictures by : FameFlynet UK © 2015\n Tel : +44 (0)20 3551 5049\n Email : info@fameflynet.uk.com$ The honeymoon crashers! Maid of honor Courteney Cox and Hollywood pals join newlyweds Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux on romantic cruise in Bora Bora
At least four people dead as gunmen 'try to kidnap' Western hotel guests in Mali

French police cast doubt over rumours of gas being used in robbery
Jenson Button and his wife Jessica Michibata were staying in St Tropez
Criminals took belongings including Jessica's £250,000 engagement ring
Police believe gang had been watching the mansion for days before raid

Published: 10:20 EST, 7 August 2015 | Updated: 15:11 EST, 7 August 2015

416

View
comments

Medical experts yesterday cast doubts on claims that Jenson Button and his wife Jessica were gassed as they slept during a raid on their French villa.

The pair were with friends in St Tropez when thieves broke in and stole valuables worth £300,000 including Mrs Button's engagement ring, believed to be worth £250,000.

It was claimed the Formula One driver, 35, and his wife may have been knocked out by gas pumped into the house through air conditioning units.

A source close to Button said the Grand Prix star was 'convinced' that's what happened.

Scroll down for video

Victims: Jenson Button and his wife Jessica Michibata, pictured, were robbed at their luxury French villa

Precious: Jessica's £250,000 engagement ring, pictured, was among the belongings stolen in the raid

Five days ago Jessica posted a picture of herself lying on the beach while on holiday in St Tropez on Instagram

Jenson Button and wife Jessica walk hand-in-hand on red carpet

They added that Button and his friends weren't disturbed during the raid as the effects of the gas gave the burglars 'free rein'.

However, Liam Brennan, vice president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, poured scorn on the idea.

In the past year the RCA has issued statements claiming stories of tourists being gassed in their caravans and motor-homes were a myth.

Dr Brennan said: 'I cannot think of any agent that could be used in this way that could be delivered in an effective concentration into a large environment to produce the effect desired.'

A spokesman for the RCA added: 'You would need to use a truckload of gas, and that amount would be phenomenally expensive to obtain. One has to ask why anyone would spend so much money on what is such an impractical method.'

Police in St Tropez last night confirmed they were investigating the burglary – but stressed claims of gas being used did not come from them.

Relaxing: Jenson Button and Jessica Michitaba first met in a bar in Tokyo, Japan back in 2008

Loved-up: Jenson and Japanese-born Jessica married in Hawaii in December last year

On holiday: The couple were staying at the property in St Tropez (pictured in file image) with three friends

Terrifying: It is believed that the burglars were in the same room as the Buttons (pictured together in May left). Jessica is pictured right sporting her engagement ring while arriving at the British Grand Prix last month

Gassing robberies in the South of France seem to be common

Blood samples provided by the couple were being examined by French police scientists last night.

Deputy prosecutor Philippe Guemas said: 'To our knowledge there has never been a burglary like this in St Tropez where gas was used to knock out the victims.

Nothing has been established. Jenson Button's entourage has made this claim as the driver didn't feel well the following day.'

Mrs Button, 30, a former model, had recently posted photographs on her Twitter account of her posing in a bikini with her engagement ring.

She may also have inadvertently given away the location of the couple's villa.

ROBBERS WOULD NEED TRAINING... AND A TRUCKLOAD OF DRUGS

Anaesthetic gas is used in operations to bring on a state of controlled unconsciousness, so that a patient feels nothing during surgery.

It takes at least 13 years to train as an anaesthetist, because safely making someone unconscious is no easy task.

Doctors use drugs to control the fine balance between the conscious state and the unconscious state - while retaining the ability to wake them again.

The Foreign Office has previously warned that burglars in France may use anaesthetic gas when stealing from motorhomes or commercial lorries. But experts say achieving such a feat would be unlikely.

Doubt: Police in St Tropez last night confirmed they were investigating the burglary – but stressed claims of gas being used did not come from them

The danger of unsupervised anaesthesia was demonstrated in the Moscow theatre hostage crisis of 2002, when police pumped gas into the theatre during the rescue attempt.

About a fifth of those inside the building died, including many hostages, when they fell unconscious.

Even if a criminal had the skills, there are several reasons why experts feel it is unlikely gas is being used to sedate burglary victims.

Firstly, anaesthetic gases are very expensive and hard to acquire and secondly, a huge volume would be needed to render everyone in a villa unconscious.

On August 1 – just 72 hours before the raid – she posted a photograph of the view from their villa before she revealed another snap of her lying on a beach wearing her £250,000 ring which has five carats and a large teardrop diamond set in a diamond-encrusted platinum band.

A spokesman for Button said the McLaren driver, his wife and a small group of friends who were staying with them at the time were unharmed but had been left 'unsurprisingly shaken by the events'.

He said: 'Jenson, Jessica and friends were on holiday in a rented villa in St Tropez when on Monday evening two men broke into the property whilst they all slept and stole a number of items of jewellery including, most upsettingly, Jessica's engagement ring.

Disappointing: Last month, Button (above on the track) revealed that his future at McLaren remains uncertain

'The police have indicated that this has become a growing problem in the region with perpetrators going so far as to gas their proposed victims through the air conditioning units before breaking in.'

Gas has been mentioned in reference to burglaries in France and wealthy areas of the country.

In 2006 France and Arsenal footballer Patrick Vieira along with his wife and daughter were the victims of a raid on their home near Cannes.

The family complained of feeling unwell after the burglary and it was later revealed that gas had been pumped into the air conditioning system to keep them asleep.

Fashion presenters Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine were prey to a similar attack in 2010 in Cannes, when they were allegedly smothered with chloroform.

Button currently drives for McLaren Honda and only married his model wife in Hawaii in December.

He is said to be worth £72million and was ranked the third richest British sports star in this year's Sunday Times Rich List.

RICH PICKINGS FOR BURGLARS IN EUROPE'S MOST GLAMOROUS RESORT

It is little surprise that a resort which attracts the rich and famous to its shores should also attract thieves and robbers.

Jenson Button is not the first person to have allegedly been drugged during a burglary - it is said to have gone on for at least 15 years.

Fittingly, some of the crimes have appeared as glamorous as Saint-Tropez itself.

In 2005, three Serbian members of the criminal gang the Pink Panthers raided a jewellers dressed in flowery T-Shirts - before escaping in a speed boat.

More common - and far less flashy - is the knowledge that leaving those who leave their doors or windows open in the luxurious resort will probably find themselves missing a few of their jewels.

Burglary: Regular holidaymakers to St Tropez know they need to keep their windows and doors tightly shut to avoid becoming the latest victim of crime, according to one insider

But last year, the problem got so bad, that people were being targeted as they walked along the streets of the town, in the South of France.

According to Page Six, two muggers were roaming St Tropez ripping £100,000 watches off their wrists as they window shopped last year.

The source also claimed to hear 'dozens' of reports of villas being burgled each and every summer.

But even keeping your valuables in a hotel room is now guarantee it will be safe.

A crime spree during 2011 saw a three-strong gang get away with almost a million euros in luxury items - mainly jewellery and branded watches, according to a report in Var-Matin.

The gang, who were caught and jailed in 2012, are said to have targeted easily accessible rooms in hotels in the area while the occupants were at dinner each evening.

But actual crime statistics for the resort are not easy to come by - perhaps not surprising for an area which relies on attracting billionaires who rate safety as one of their top priorities.

As the source told Page Six last year: 'Only the one percent can afford to vacation here anymore.

'And then they get robbed. Who wants that? No wonder everyone's going to Spain this year.'