Smirnoff heiress denies sending ‘fake bailiff’ to ex’s home

Marinika Smirnova, the 34-year-old Smirnoff vodka heiress, model and reality TV star, has denied hiring a 'fake bailiff' to take valuables from her ex-husband's home. The odd story emerged at a hearing in London, where she denied conspiracy to commit fraud, after Robin Murray (28) denied burglary and fraud. They will both be in court in November, where the full story will emerge.

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At the moment, according to the Daily Mail, it is alleged that after obtaining a legitimate court judgement against her ex-husband Sergei Windsor (also known as Sergei Kapchuk), the former Mrs Russia concocted a plan to get the money.

The Telegraph reported that she allegedly hired Murray to take £2,000 worth of items from her ex-husband's home in Chelsea. He reportedly arrived at the property with fake documents, claiming he was a court bailiff. He picked up two Apple Macs, a Samsung TV, a watch, a printer and an audio recorder worth a total of £2,000.

Heiress horrors

We cannot know what actually happened until the trial. However, it's not the first time an heiress to a fortune has discovered that life isn't all plain sailing - even for those who were born to a life of favour and privilege.

There are those who have been disinherited - including Angeline Francis Khoo, who defied her father, the owner of Laura Ashley, and married a man he disapproved of. Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng ended his relationship with his daughter, and severed all financial ties, after she married Caribbean-born data scientist Jedidiah Francis.

Then there are those who have ended up in trouble with the law. In 2004, heiress Julia Pilkington was jailed. The 39-year-old heir to the glass family fortune had been sentenced to do community service, after being found guilty of harassing her neighbours. Among the odd things she did during her campaign of harassment was 'cavorting' naked in the garden. Pilkington failed to complete her sentence (arguing that making her wear overalls to pick up litter was sexist and against her human rights - and that she couldn't work in a charity shop because she would have to touch other people's clothes), and so was jailed for 42 days.

Then there are cases that end in tragedy. In 2014, a 77-year-old Monaco property heiress was actually shot and killed. Crime gangs with property holdings in the French Riviera were suspected to have been involved.

It starts to make the love life of Topshop heiress Chloe Green - and her decision to date a married former convict Jeremy Meeks - seem rather tame.