Fake locksmith secretly filmed Brigitte Bardot before trying to sell footage of intimate moments after tricking his way into her St Tropez home
- The shocking scam saw at least 15 videos and 45 photographs emerge
- She has lived in La Madrague, her legendary St Tropez retreat, for decades
- Ms Bardot, 82, believed the confidence trickster was a certified locksmith
An escaped convict tricked his way into the beachside home of legendary sex symbol Brigitte Bardot to secretly film her
An escaped convict who made a fortune through X-rated sex videos tricked his way into the beachside home of legendary sex symbol Brigitte Bardot to secretly film her, it emerged today.
The shocking scam saw at least 15 videos and 45 photographs emerge from La Madrague, the retired French actress and model’s legendary Riviera retreat in St Tropez.
Ms Bardot, who is now 82, believed that the 50-year-old confidence trickster was a certified locksmith and had hired him to do some odd jobs last summer.
In fact the unnamed convicted criminal had escaped from prison in nearby Marseille, and wanted to make money out of the lucrative trade in celebrity images.
Before going to prison, he had made a fortune by posting X-rated amateur sex videos online, many of them shot in private homes.
Brigitte Bardot pictured on a boat at the Madrague in Saint Tropez, June 26, 1968
The actress had hired the convict to do some odd jobs at her Saint Tropez home last summer
The man was never seen with a smart phone, leading police to believe that he set up a sophisticated system of hidden cameras in Madrague, some of which would have caught Ms Bardot in her most intimate moments.
The man then contacted the editors of glossy celebrity magazines and web outlets around France last July, but they all refused to buy the images.
‘Let’s thank them for this,’ a source close to the star told Le Parisien newspaper. ‘It’s to their credit, especially since, as you can imagine, these stolen images and videos were not necessarily to the advantage of Madame Bardot’.
After failing to make money out of the scam, the convict then travelled around France pretending to be Ms Bardot’s son, while trying out other money-spinning ruses.
The actress and singer mid-photoshoot at her home on the Riviera, Saint Tropez
Sex symbol Brigitte Bardot pictured singing at her Madrague home in 1968
This image, taken in 1960, shows a bedroom of the home in the south of France where the actress has lived for decades
These included approaching the Jacquie and Michel sex boutique in Paris and saying he needed the equivalent of £3500 to buy a safe he wanted to re-sell to billionaire French businessman and politician Serge Dassault.
The owners of the shop – who had helped the man with his video business – agreed, and handed over the money.
But in December the convict was finally found by police after checking into numerous Airbnb temporary lets with his wife. He has since been returned to prison.
Ms Bardot bought La Madrague – which is named after a type of fixed fishing net – in 1958, two years after she shot to international fame in the film ‘And God Created Woman’.
Over the years it was regularly burgled, even though Ms Bardot regularly introduced security measures including higher walls to keep the paparazzi away. She filmed a video of herself singing a song called La Madrague on the property’ s small beach front in 1968, but now lives there as a virtual recluse with her dogs and other animals.
The criminal contacted the editors of glossy celebrity magazines and web outlets around France last July, but they all refused to buy the images of her home, pictured in 1960
Ms Bardot bought La Madrague – which is named after a type of fixed fishing net – in 1958
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