Man from Epsom jailed for over two years

A 24-year-old man from Epsom has been sentenced to a total of 28 months in jail at Guildford Crown Court for a multitude of offences.

Connor Higgs of Gatley Avenue, Epsom, was sentenced on Monday, 16 November, for four separate offences relating to a residential burglary, including:

• 1 count of burglary
• 1 count of theft of a motor vehicle
• 1 count of fraud by false representation
• 1 count of breach of suspended sentence

He received 24 months imprisonment for the burglary, nine months for the theft of a motor vehicle, one month for fraud (both to run concurrently) and four months for breach of suspended sentence.

Higgs pleaded guilty to the charges of burglary and theft of a motor vehicle and was found guilty of fraud by false representation.

Officers were first called to a residential address in Ashtead on Monday, 27 July of this year, after it was reported that two Mercedes cars had been stolen, as well as a handbag and £400 in cash. The incident had taken place in the early hours of the morning whilst the victims were asleep upstairs. 

After one of the stolen vehicles was picked up on an automatic number plate recognition camera in Epsom, Higgs was later located and arrested. Both cars and the handbag were recovered, although the cash and car keys were not.

Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Todd McPhail said: “This sentencing is a real achievement for the team whose diligence and dedication has resulted in another burglar being put behind bars. Burglary is a serious crime which can leave victims feeling afraid and vulnerable in their own homes. Surrey Police will do everything possible to secure a conviction and bring those responsible for these offences to justice.”

If you come home to find that your home has been burgled, and you believe that the suspects may still be inside, call 999. If you witness a burglary taking place, please call 999. If you have information about a burglary, please contact us on 101.

You can also contact us by:

• Webchat on our website surrey.police.uk 
• Online https://www.surrey.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

If you don’t wish to speak to police, you can also speak to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

There are various ways in which you can safeguard your property from burglary:

• Lock all windows and doors whenever you leave the house, no matter how long you will be gone for.
• Installing an alarm system in your house. Some alarms can also be extended wirelessly to cover sheds, garages and other outbuildings.
• Installing motion sensor lights around the outside of your property.
• Installing CCTV cameras, or doorbells with CCTV camera capacity.
• Trim hedges around doors and windows, so that they cannot provide a shield for would-be burglars trying to gain access to your home.