A conwoman racked up tens of thousands in unpaid rent and stole jewellery and antiques from properties she was supposed to be house-sitting, a court has heard. 

Ariana Rose, 40, carried out illegal sub-lets and then conned her ‘tenants’ out of thousands by not giving them their deposits back. 

While house-sitting luxury properties in Hampshire, Somerset, Suffolk and Essex, she stole items worth thousands, including a £4,000 gold bracelet and even a £159 Le Creuset Balti pan from a property in Warwickshire. 

On Thursday, she appeared in court via video-link from Bronzefield Prison in Ashford, Surrey, after a private prosecution was brought about by Caroline Evans, a property administrator whose flat Rose moved into in September 2023 and allegedly refused to pay rent for two years. 

But the court heard that Rose had convictions for fraud dating back almost 20 years. 

They include illegal transactions while employed at Barclays Bank in 2008, and stealing money from prospective tenants through fake deposits in 2011.  

Rose now faces charges for a series of tenancy frauds in Manchester, after illegally sub-letting a retiree’s flat and creating a fake email address to correspond with her housemates. 

Southwark Crown Court heard from one tenant, who paid Rose £4,340 for a short-term let, that Rose became ‘controlling and irrational, refusing to let her have guests over and restricting the times at which she could use the kitchen or shower’. 

Ariana Rose (pictured) stole antiques and jewellery worth thousands from properties she was house-sitting

The glamorous conwoman is also accused from stealing from brides on their wedding day while posing as a makeup artist

The court also heard that Rose, who reportedly changed her name from Sana Ali, became ‘aggressive and threatening’ when tenants requested their deposits after moving out. 

Rose took £30,337 in fraudulent rent and fees while also receiving universal credit, a monthly wage from a local theatre and earnings from hair and make-up bookings. 

She is also accused of stealing from brides on their wedding day while posing as a hair and make-up artist. 

One bride said that an identical watch to the Rolex that disappeared on her wedding day later appeared on Rose’s social media months later, the Sun reported. 

In total, Rose paid £101,000 into her three bank accounts over three years. 

The prosecution brought about by her former landlord, Caroline Evans, said that Rose employed intimidation tactics after racking up £43,000 in rent arrears. 

Rose bowed her head as her crimes were read before the court and pleaded guilty to seven fraud offences against four individuals and a single count of perverting the course of justice between October 2016 and April 2024. 

Ms Evans said that she spent £6,000 of her own money to bring Rose to justice and it took 11 months for her to remove Rose from the property. 

Rose had convictions for fraud dating back 20 years, including illegal transactions while employed at Barclays Bank in 2008

During this time, Rose’s Instagram was allegedly ‘rife with reels of her doing makeup for red carpet events’, where she mixed with ‘celebrities and influencers, going out partying and living a life of luxury’. 

Ms Evans told the court: ‘It was my responsibility to get Ariana to pay the rent. Communication with her was a complex medley of co-operation, aggression and avoidance, so I never knew where I stood.

‘She sent me screenshots of payments she claimed to have made, but when I told her that the money had not come through, she again threatened me with legal action and accused me of harassing her.’

Ms Evans added that the ordeal has impacted her business and she felt ‘disillusioned’ that her case had to be privately prosecuted after numerous attempts through Action Fraud, the CPS and the police, the Times reported. 

Before her trial, the court heard that Rose continued to cheat property owners across the country. 

Between July 11 and October 27 last year, Rose joined TrustedHousesitters, a site where property owners can hire people to look after their homes and pets while they’re away. 

In October, Rose, of no fixed abode, agreed to house-sit a property in Warwickshire for three days. 

When the owners returned, however, they found a £2,500 cocktail watch, a £4,000 gold bracelet and a £159 Le Creuset Balti pan were among a ‘large number of valuable items missing’. 

Rose was later arrested while driving a rented BMW Series 2. Warwickshire police officers noticed designer sunglasses, £2,450 in cash, a quantity of US dollars and euros, and a Rolex in her stash. 

Rose also had a key to a local property, where police later discovered expensive champagne, eight pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes and a smattering of antiques, silverware and china. 

The court heard how Rose’s mobile phone showed she had been taking photos of the homes she’d been staying in as well as the items she’d stolen from them. 

Rose stole at least £14,711 worth of silver. She denied stealing any of the items and told police she had been given them after the owners were having a ‘clear out’. 

She later admitted five counts of burglary and a single charge of theft.  

Charlie Austin-Groome, defending, said Rose ‘wants to tell them how sorry she is, not because she was caught. She knows any period in prison doesn’t take away from the stress and anxiety her actions have had on people.’ 

The court was told that Rose had an unhappy childhood and was close to her father, who suffered from lung disease and died in 2023. Her lawyer said it was after this event that Rose ‘spiralled into fraud’. 

Circuit Judge Nicholas Rimmer adjourned the case and said that Rose would be sentenced at the court on July 2.