For a decade he has been plundering homes almost imperceptibly, amassing a haul of spoils estimated at up to £10 million.
Methodical in his planning, meticulous in his execution and lucky to boot, the Wimbledon Prowler ghosts through gardens and parks, silences security alarms and cunningly disguises his thefts so victims do not realise they have been robbed.
Now, though, the police have had enough. Ten years after the prowler began preying on residents in southwest London, officers have launched a renewed operation to catch the man who has broken into hundreds of properties.
Typically he will visit a target house several times, checking out alarm systems, taking small items of jewellery or some, but not all, of the money from a purse. Victims are left thinking they have lost a ring, puzzling over how they spent so much or blaming the cleaner. The initial break-ins are preparation for the big raid. One family lost a safe containing jewellery worth £500,000.
Detectives believe that most of the homes within a half-mile radius of the All England Lawn Tennis club have fallen prey to the Prowler. He has been seen by homeowners a dozen times, chased through gardens and frequently recorded on CCTV but no police officer has ever caught sight of him.
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A recent initiative had 30 officers spread around the suburb, hiding in trees, sheds and residents’ spare bedrooms in the hope that they might catch the Prowler red-handed. They drew a blank, however.
The renewed police effort began after the Prowler carried out a spate of raids last year in the months leading up to Christmas. That burst of activity ended something of a lull in his activities after a Crimewatch appeal in 2014 showed CCTV footage of him in the kitchen of a multi-million pound house. “We had a policeman in our spare room for a fortnight with his night vision glasses and a Thermos of coffee,” one householder said.
The resident said the Prowler had used the large garden of his detached home as a route to reach the back doors of houses on the next street. The discovery was made after the householder realised that the wires to an alarm on his pedestrian gate had been carefully cut twice in a fortnight. Movement sensors on his security lights had been crushed with pliers.
“We’re pretty sure he’s used our garden as one of his thoroughfares,” he said. “The police told us they were desperate to catch him. It’s disconcerting for everyone in the area, we’re always being reminded to set our alarms.”
Famous residents of London SW19 who have fallen victim to the burglar have included Boris Becker, the former tennis champion, and his wife Lily. The couple say they have turned their home into a fortress after being targeted several times. The former Premier League footballer Nicolas Anelka has also been targeted.
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Detective Inspector Dan O’Sullivan, who has been leading the hunt for the Prowler for the past two years, said he was convinced the culprit lived in the suburb. “We’re dealing with a very clever offender here but we know he can be caught,” he said.
The persistent burglaries have inspired a deluge of local theories. Some residents say the Prowler must be a security engineer because he has an expert’s knowledge of alarm systems.
Others say he could be an estate agent who knows where the wealthy residents live. Other armchair detectives, however, suspect a Womble. They point to Wimbledon’s underground dwellers’ skill at making use of the things that everyday folk leave behind.