Crystal Palace player’s home targeted in £500,000 raid
POLICE are investigating a £500,000 burglary at a Premier League footballer’s house once targeted by the infamous Wimbledon Prowler.
Mamadou Sakho, 29, the Crystal Palace defender, was away with his family, ahead of his team’s clash with Southampton on Dec 27, when raiders broke into his house in south-west London.
The footballer rents the sprawling property from Nicolas Anelka, the former Arsenal and Chelsea star, who in 2014 reportedly chased Asdrit Kapaj, a prolific burglar, from the back garden. Sakho, who used to play for Paris Saintgermain and Liverpool, is understood to have lost valuables worth in excess of £500,000 in the raid.
Speaking at the house, Sakho said: “Everything is OK. Me and my wife, we’re OK.”
Scotland Yard believe the break-in occurred on the afternoon of Dec 27, the day before Sakho and his teammates were due to play on the south coast.
Police have released an image of a woman seen on CCTV nearby who they want to contact about the incident.
Dean Shaw, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “It is believed that two male suspects carried out this burglary but we would like to speak to the woman as she was seen near the address on the day of the incident and may be able to assist us.”
It is the latest in a string of raids on multi-million pound properties around the capital. Earlier this week, four men from Chile were sentenced for a breakin at the home of Marcus Wareing, the celebrity chef, who also lives in Wimbledon.
The upmarket area, which is close to the famous tennis club, was the favourite hunting ground of Kapaj, 43, who was jailed for 14 years in June after admitting a string of burglaries dating back to 2008.
But detectives believe the fish and chip shop owner – who travelled from his home in Manchester – might have actually been behind at least 200 break-ins, stealing valuables worth up to £5million. Boris Becker, the former tennis champion, was among his targets.