Peter Lyderik
Hyper Active Member
‘Night Watcher’ mansion raider may be ex‑Foreign Legion
John Simpson, Crime Correspondent | Fiona Hamilton, Crime Editor
January 31 2018, 12:01am, The Times
A suspected rogue soldier being sought over a series of brutal armed raids on Home Counties mansions may have trained with the French Foreign Legion, a policing source has said.
Detectives believe that the sawn-off shotgun, cable ties and extreme violence employed by the burglar nicknamed “the Night Watcher” could indicate a legionnaire’s background.
The burglar stakes out homes before tying up and attacking the owners and making detailed demands of them. He has struck at least seven times across four police force areas, stealing jewels and items thought to be worth millions.
Detectives believe the suspect has not only conducted reconnaissance outside homes, but may have been inside on occasions before the burglary.
Surrey police, who are leading the investigation, have linked him to raids on the homes of multimillionaires including Goodwood House, where the Earl and Countess of March were tied up. Lord March, 63, was beaten over the head and items including a £400,000 diamond tiara and an emerald ring given by Charles II to his mistress Louise de Kérouaille were stolen.
Profiling by the National Crime Agency of the stocky, 6ft attacker, who has a “south of England” accent, suggests he has military training, but the police source said a sawn-off shotgun was considered an unlikely choice for a retired British soldier, who might be more likely to use a modern weapon.
The raids were “meticulously planned”, the suspect was very aware of forensic science and every last detail was carried out with precision, the source added. The burglar also knew where items were inside at least one of the houses.
Police have been unable to trace suspect vehicles from the location of the burglaries, suggesting that the attacker was aware of automatic number plate recognition technology.
In his earliest known raid, in 2014, the burglar kicked the pregnant daughter of Robert Stiff, a wealthy businessman, in the stomach as she lay on the floor beside her family.
In a Crimewatch appeal after the raid the family described the night he burst into their home in Kingswood, Surrey pointing the shotgun at them, shouting “get down” and tying them up. Mr Stiff, 57, said the burglar was “a coward”, adding: “That’s probably the most upsetting part, with Katie being pregnant. At a time when really we should be celebrating it there was so much sadness in the house.”
His wife, Catherine, said: “We were all in a line behind each other. He went to Katie and he booted her in the side of her tummy where she’s pregnant. I just thought, ‘God, what’s going to happen to the baby’.”
Their other daughter, Chloe, added: “Although what happened on that night was traumatic, it’s the after-effects that are even worse.”
During another raid in Berkshire in 2015, a woman in her fifties and a man in his twenties were held up at gunpoint after the burglar entered through an unlocked rear door.
And a comment from a reader.
"Detectives believe that the sawn-off shotgun, cable ties and extreme violence employed by the burglar nicknamed “the Night Watcher” could indicate a legionnaire’s background." Eh?? There may well be grounds for thinking that the burglar is ex-Foreign Legion, but they haven't been given here.
John Simpson, Crime Correspondent | Fiona Hamilton, Crime Editor
January 31 2018, 12:01am, The Times
A suspected rogue soldier being sought over a series of brutal armed raids on Home Counties mansions may have trained with the French Foreign Legion, a policing source has said.
Detectives believe that the sawn-off shotgun, cable ties and extreme violence employed by the burglar nicknamed “the Night Watcher” could indicate a legionnaire’s background.
The burglar stakes out homes before tying up and attacking the owners and making detailed demands of them. He has struck at least seven times across four police force areas, stealing jewels and items thought to be worth millions.
Detectives believe the suspect has not only conducted reconnaissance outside homes, but may have been inside on occasions before the burglary.
Surrey police, who are leading the investigation, have linked him to raids on the homes of multimillionaires including Goodwood House, where the Earl and Countess of March were tied up. Lord March, 63, was beaten over the head and items including a £400,000 diamond tiara and an emerald ring given by Charles II to his mistress Louise de Kérouaille were stolen.
Profiling by the National Crime Agency of the stocky, 6ft attacker, who has a “south of England” accent, suggests he has military training, but the police source said a sawn-off shotgun was considered an unlikely choice for a retired British soldier, who might be more likely to use a modern weapon.
The raids were “meticulously planned”, the suspect was very aware of forensic science and every last detail was carried out with precision, the source added. The burglar also knew where items were inside at least one of the houses.
Police have been unable to trace suspect vehicles from the location of the burglaries, suggesting that the attacker was aware of automatic number plate recognition technology.
In his earliest known raid, in 2014, the burglar kicked the pregnant daughter of Robert Stiff, a wealthy businessman, in the stomach as she lay on the floor beside her family.
In a Crimewatch appeal after the raid the family described the night he burst into their home in Kingswood, Surrey pointing the shotgun at them, shouting “get down” and tying them up. Mr Stiff, 57, said the burglar was “a coward”, adding: “That’s probably the most upsetting part, with Katie being pregnant. At a time when really we should be celebrating it there was so much sadness in the house.”
His wife, Catherine, said: “We were all in a line behind each other. He went to Katie and he booted her in the side of her tummy where she’s pregnant. I just thought, ‘God, what’s going to happen to the baby’.”
Their other daughter, Chloe, added: “Although what happened on that night was traumatic, it’s the after-effects that are even worse.”
During another raid in Berkshire in 2015, a woman in her fifties and a man in his twenties were held up at gunpoint after the burglar entered through an unlocked rear door.
And a comment from a reader.
"Detectives believe that the sawn-off shotgun, cable ties and extreme violence employed by the burglar nicknamed “the Night Watcher” could indicate a legionnaire’s background." Eh?? There may well be grounds for thinking that the burglar is ex-Foreign Legion, but they haven't been given here.