Woman who tricked Edgar Davids says she has a ‘broken skull’ as her sentencing is postponed once more
A woman who admitted to stealing Edgar Davids’ £188,000 art collection has had her sentencing delayed again after saying she suffered a fractured skull.
Nabila Habiby, 39, hasn’t been sentenced yet, despite pleading guilty to two fraud charges in September 2025 involving artworks owned by the former Netherlands and Tottenham football star.
Her latest absence made the judge suspicious, especially because of questions about the medical papers she gave the court.
Edgar Davids, who used to play for Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, had trusted Habiby to keep his valuable artworks safe when moving from Barnet to central London in 2014.
Last year, Habiby, who was once a friend of Davids, admitted to fraud but hasn’t shown up in court since then. On September 4, she missed her sentencing because she said she was hit on the head. She said a piece of luggage caused the injury while she was traveling from the UK to Belgium.
Then, on September 23, the hearing was delayed again after Habiby told the judge she was being treated for a fractured skull. This time, her story changed—she said the injury happened when she was hit by a car’s tailgate. This made the judge even more doubtful.
Judge Jones pointed out that the doctor’s note she gave wasn’t on official letterhead and could have been typed by anyone. He asked, “Is she really ill?”
Habiby’s lawyer, Adithi Shenava, said Habiby was “very sick” and couldn’t come to court because of a medical appointment in Belgium. Shenava spoke to Habiby by phone and said, “We don’t doubt she is telling the truth.”
Habiby said she has surgery planned for October 6. Because of this, Judge Jones postponed the sentencing to November 18. He also requested an official doctor’s note on letterhead and suggested Belgian police might need to check if the documents Habiby gave were real.
The judge said, “I’m sorry if I sound doubtful. This might be unfair, and it could be just a very unlucky accident. But we need to move this case forward, and she can’t keep delaying it forever.”
If sentenced in November, it will be over five years since Habiby was charged for handling Davids’ artworks without permission.