Holidaying homeowner catches thief by webcam
Raider was illegal immigrant
AN ILLEGAL immigrant was caught on a webcam breaking into a house – by the homeowner watching the footage online while on holiday in France.
Albanian Dorian Puka, 21, and an unidentified accomplice were filmed trying to force entry to the property by the camera, which streamed the images to owner David Pearce abroad.
He alerted his neighbours, who arrived to find the patio door of the property open but were able to chase the intruders away.
Puka was discovered hiding in a bush near the house in Twickenham, south west London. He was linked to the raid and another burglary the previous month by DNA evidence.
Ruxana Nasser, prosecuting, told Isleworth Crown Court that the break-in took place at about 11am on August 17 last year.
‘The property was unoccupied because the owner was in France for about two weeks,’ she said. ‘The burglary came to the attention of the owner, who had a wifi webcam set up which he could view while in France, when he noticed two men trying to force their way into his house from the back.’ She added that he alerted neighbours who went to the premises and, after shouting ‘ police, police’, saw two men run from the property. One got away in a car but Puka was found hiding.
A month before, on July 4, the legs of a burglar had been spotted ‘flailing’ through the window of a property in Ealing, west London.
A small amount of goods were taken and Puka was connected to the raid through DNA found on a glove left behind in the back garden of the property.
Puka, of no fixed address, admitted two counts of burglary and was jailed for two months earlier this month. He had already served six months on remand and was released into the custody of the Home Office.
He has now been deported.