‘Spider-Man’ cat burglar’s £270k raids on homes of millionaires
a CaT burglar has ransacked multi-million pound homes in one of Britain’s wealthiest neighbourhoods.
The meticulous thief has already made off with jewellery and valuables worth more than £270,000 after striking at five properties.
Nicknamed ‘Spider-Man’, he has scaled walls, roofs and drainpipes before breaking in through upstairs windows, even when properties were occupied.
In one terrifying raid, children hid in the bathroom after being alerted by their father, who saw the intruder on a home CCTV system while abroad on business.
One theory is that the ‘agile and confident’ suspect may be a scaffolder or construction worker with experience of working at heights.
Police believe he may have worked on one of the area’s many building projects and may originally be from overseas.
CCTV footage shows the suspect, who is white and aged between 20 and 40, wearing a baseball cap and a hooded jumper or jacket. He carries a ‘burglary bag’, a rucksack with a climbing clip.
all five break-ins took place in March and april across Kensington and Holland Park in West London. In three cases children were at home.
Detective Constable Eve Kelly, who is leading the inquiry, said the cat burglar’s victims are ‘understandably horrified’. She added: ‘I don’t think he is targeting specific properties, I think he is looking for opportunities and he is not afraid to climb. Looking at the CCTV is shocking. He clearly spends a lot of time at the properties, both in the gardens and inside. floor of a £8.5million five-bedroom, four-storey house. He was spotted sliding down the outside of the house by stunned family members as they ate dinner. He made off with a £30,000 gold Rolex watch, cash and bank cards.
CCTV footage showed the intruder using a torch while he searched bedroom drawers and filled his bag with valuables. The second raid happened on april 12 at another £8.5million home nearby belonging to a City trader. The burglar triggered an alarm but still escaped with jewellery worth £20,000 and foreign currency. One neighbour said the burglary has sent shockwaves through the street, adding: ‘They call him Spiderman.’ In the next two raids he escaped with cash and jewellery worth £35,000 and designer bags worth £185,000. The final raid took place on april 21 in a street near Kensington Palace where houses sell for more than £11million. The homeowner was abroad and watched horrified on a webcam as security cameras showed the burglar jumping over a fence. The raider rummaged through a dressing room but left empty handed. The homeowner’s children and their nanny were on the floor above and hid in the bathroom.