A burglar who stole £10 million worth of jewellery from a London mansion has had his crime spree captured on CCTV.
In footage obtained by the BBC, a masked man can be seen stuffing millions of pounds of jewellery and designer handbags into a backpack after making his way inside the expensive property.
A family spokesperson, who was inside the home when the theft was carried out, said the intruder moved “like a cat” but the man was nearly captured after his planned escape route was blocked off.
The stolen items belong to Hong Kong socialite Shafira Huang who was not in the St John’s Wood property but has offered a £1.5 million reward.
Csaba Virag, a spokesman for Ms Huang’s family, said the thief initially attempted to gain access to the property via the second floor at around 5pm on December 7 but was unable to do so despite screwdriver or crowbar marks suggesting that they tried.
The masked intruder can then be seen making their way onto the roof before lowering into a large concrete gutter to enter the house via a bathroom window.
Mr Virag said the intruder would have had to climb down onto a sink from the window, but moved “like a cat” to avoid making any marks on it or disturbing the cosmetic products it was littered with.
So confident was the intruder of the goods on offer that £300 was left on a desk untouched.
Family spokesperson Csaba Virag said that he was holding a meeting at the time in the basement with a live-in governess who otherwise would have been in the room via which the intruder gained entry.
During this meeting, Mr Virag says that he heard banging which he believes would have been caused by the intruder.
He said: “Retrospectively, I can put two and two together, which at the time you don’t really think.”
The intruder was then seen wandering around the building and struggling to open cases before gaining access and placing the contents in a backpack.
Terrifying CCTV footage shows the intruder walking in the same hallway as a maid just 61 seconds apart.
The thief is believed to have been armed and to have been a white man in his late 20s or early 30s.
Metropolitan Police Detective Constable Paulo Roberts said: “We urge anyone who was in the area of Avenue Road, NW8, and saw anything suspicious to please come forward.
“Also, if you have seen this jewellery since, someone has offered to sell you it, or you have any further information, then please also contact the police or Crimestoppers anonymously.”
In addition to the £1.5 million reward on offer for information leading to an arrest, a reward of 10% of the value of any recovered items has also been put up.
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or message @MetCC on X quoting CAD reference 5775/07DEC.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
