There have been calls to deport a ‘vile’ burglar who targeted high-profile victims including a former Wimbledon champion and a Premier League footballer. Asdrit Kapaj, also known as the ‘Wimbledon Prowler’, was jailed in 2019 after a string of burglary offences. He raided the homes of some of Britain’s wealthiest residents and is thought to have stolen around £10million from 200 homes.
Boris Becker was among Kapaj’s celebrity victims, with the burglar raiding houses in the Wimbledon area. He also targeted former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, who chased him across his garden. Six years ago, Kapaj was arrested after being caught red-handed by surveillance officers and was sentenced to 14 years behind bars, having admitted 26 offences between 2008 and 2019.
He has since been released from prison after serving just 40 per cent of his sentence, according to the Daily Mail. It is said that he has returned to his three-bed Manchester home, provided by social housing, which he shares with his wife and three children.
Kapaj arrived in the UK in 1996 and was granted indefinite leave to remain in the country after claiming to be a Kosovan refugee. However, his brother Nexhip said in 2019 that he was born in Albania and had claimed to be a refugee in order to gain entry.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has called for Kapaj to be deported, saying on Monday night: “It’s an insult to his victims that this vile man can get away with serving so little of his sentence.”
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Rebecca McIntosh, who had priceless jewellery, christening and wedding gifts stolen by Kapaj, was left feeling ‘numb’ after learning of his early release from prison.
She said: “It does seem incredibly unfair that he gets to go back to his normal life. It is extraordinary. You hear about them clearing out prisons and you assume they release people at low risk, but clearly that is not the case.”
Four years ago, Kapaj was handed a confiscation order of just £1 after prosecutors accepted he had ‘no available assets’. He is said to have blown his money on gambling, as well as holidays to Thailand and Albania.
Neighbours reported that Kapaj still owned a chip shop he had been running during his crime spree, but he said he no longer had the business before insisting that he was not Kapaj and had never heard of the ‘Wimbledon Prowler’.
Kapaj was arrested in possession of stolen goods in 2001 but was transferred to hospital when he collapsed with what was feared to be a serious illness. He later discharged himself with police not taking any further action or obtaining a DNA sample.
He moved to Manchester three years later but continued to target the Wimbledon area, making the long trip south multiple times a week. He often left no trace of his crimes, leaving victims to suspect that friends or staff were responsible for their missing items.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said they ‘always do everything in our power’ to deport foreign nationals who have committed serious crimes.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice said those released from prison are subject to ‘strict conditions’ and can be returned to jail if they break the rules.
