Man imprisoned for burglaries in Cobham and Thames Ditton

A 36-year-old man from Thames Ditton is behind bars for two years and five months after he was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court last week for two counts of burglary.

Nicholas Leon, of Woodfield Road, Thames Ditton, had already pleaded guilty to the two burglaries at an earlier hearing.

The judge ordered a third count of burglary to lie on file, after determining that it was not in the public interest for the prosecution to proceed.

On Wednesday 5 August, the occupant of an address on Anyards Road in Cobham fell asleep on the sofa. When she woke up around 12.50am, she saw a broom handle had been inserted through an open window to try and hook her handbag from the dining room. The family dog started barking and disturbed the burglar, who fled the scene without taking anything.

On Thursday 13 August at around 3:30am, the occupant of an address on Lynwood Road in Thames Ditton woke up in her conservatory to the feeling of something poking her leg.

She saw a man lying on the wall outside and the conservatory window open. He disappeared when challenged.

A safety pin found at the scene later was believed to be the object used to touch the victim. This was believed to have been attached to a pole found nearby, and used to try and hook items from inside.

The pin was later linked to Leon using his DNA.

Less than two hours later, an allotment shed was broken into a short distance away. Thanks to forensics and CCTV footage, 36 year-old Nicholas Leon was identified, arrested and charged for all three burglaries.

Investigating Officer PC Young, of the Proactive Priority Crime Team, said, “This is a real achievement for the team that has resulted in another burglar behind bars. Residential burglary is an offence that truly has a long lasting effect on victims. The invasion of their privacy can have a devastating impact, not only on the victims but also on the surrounding community. Most importantly, bringing this offender to justice has given closure to the victims, who are at the core of all the work we do, and why we will continue to work hard to disrupt criminality.”

Make your home less attractive to burglars:

• Shut and lock doors and ground floor windows at night. Even if you are sleeping downstairs, this may not deter burglars from breaking in, or trying to steal items through open windows.
• If possible, don’t leave valuable items on display where they can be seen through ground floor windows.
• Don’t leave keys on view or within reach of letterboxes or windows. Burglars often fashion devices to hook keys or fish for other items.
• Activate burglar alarms for the ground floor of your property and outbuildings where possible.
• Consider installing CCTV cameras or a camera connected to your doorbell.

If you have any information about a burglary or can help us with any of our investigations, you can report this to us online via the Surrey Police website, or by calling 101. In an emergency, always call 999.