Hunt for terrifying 'Night Watcher' who violently robs wealthy homes and ties up victims with 'military level skills'
7 January 2024, 07:33
A ruthless robber dubbed the "Night Watcher" has been linked to four more raids - as cops try to end his £10m burglary spree.
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The crook - who police believe could have military training - has been attacking properties, sometimes armed with a sawn-off shotgun, sometimes tying up his victims, since 2006.
He has struck homes across the South East, and is now linked to 17 burglaries, having been connected to three in Kent and one in London since 2019.
He is believed to be responsible for a raid on a home on the Keston Park estate in Bromley in 2021, which led to two women at the home needing hospital treatment.
The other three happened in Tonbridge in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Police have been hunting the robber - dubbed the "Night Watcher" - for six years.
They believe he has a military background because of how he operates.
He chooses isolated homes in wealthy areas and goes on night-time reconnaissance to watch the occupants' routines and security.
His victims include celebrities like Boris Becker and Nicolas Anelka and aristocrats like the Duke and Duchess of Richmond, who were tied up at Goodwood House in West Sussex in 2016 as they were forced to hand over £700,000 worth of valuables.
In one raid, he kicked a pregnant woman in the stomach.
In 2017, he attacked another woman, Susan Morris, as he was armed with a shotgun. The Surrey resident was left fearing for her life and believing she was going to be raped.
Police previously put out CCTV on the robber when he struck in Maidenhead in 2015.
His first robbery is believed to have been in Leatherhead in 2006, followed by burglaries in Weybridge, Surrey, in 2009 and 2011.
He then struck in Virginia Water, Surrey, in 2013, followed by Tadworth, Surrey, in 2014. In 2015 he carried out the Maidenhead raid and another one in Virginia Water before targeting the Duke of Richmond in 2016.
Later that year he targeted a home in Sevenoaks, Kent, before raiding a home in Maidstone, Kent, in 2017.
He targeted a home in Reigate, Surrey, in 2019 and is now linked to the Bromley and Tonbridge raids between then and 2022.
"Kent Police is [investigating] a series of five burglaries between November 2016 and January 2022 where isolated properties have been targeted," a spokeswoman said.
"It is reported that on each occasion a lone offender threatened victims in order to steal cash and high value possessions including jewellery and watches.
"Victims have been threatened with a firearm and restrained with cable ties and ropes.
"Inquiries have included extensive review of any CCTV, as well as a full forensic review of each burglary. Officers are also continuing to work closely with other police forces, where similar burglaries have taken place."
Police have previously described him as white, of a stocky or muscular build, 6ft tall and having a southern accent.
He operates on his own.
