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| 'Ex-soldier' raiding Home Counties houses at gunpoint | 'Ex-soldier' raiding Home Counties houses at gunpoint |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A highly professional burglar with a military background is behind a series of violent house raids across south-east England, police believe. | |
| Armed with a sawn-off shotgun, the man stakes out expensive Home Counties properties and has taken jewellery, watches and heirlooms worth about £1m. | Armed with a sawn-off shotgun, the man stakes out expensive Home Counties properties and has taken jewellery, watches and heirlooms worth about £1m. |
| He knows the exact layout of the properties and location of safes by the time he strikes, Surrey Police say. | He knows the exact layout of the properties and location of safes by the time he strikes, Surrey Police say. |
| Officers believe he may be ex-military and possesses "specialist skills". | Officers believe he may be ex-military and possesses "specialist skills". |
| A police forces in Berkshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex are investigating a series of raids between November 2014 and October 2017. | A police forces in Berkshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex are investigating a series of raids between November 2014 and October 2017. |
| Officers believe the burglar stakes out his targets for some time before launching an attack- a method which has led newspapers to dub him the Night Watcher. | Officers believe the burglar stakes out his targets for some time before launching an attack- a method which has led newspapers to dub him the Night Watcher. |
| 'Ability to overpower' | 'Ability to overpower' |
| Det Insp Dee Fielding, who is leading the investigation, said the man strikes approximately every six months and is not "an opportunist burglar". | Det Insp Dee Fielding, who is leading the investigation, said the man strikes approximately every six months and is not "an opportunist burglar". |
| "This is absolutely not an amateur," she said. | "This is absolutely not an amateur," she said. |
| "He stakes out these houses over a number of days, sometimes for a couple of weeks. We can see that on CCTV he is hiding in gardens - he's looking at houses to establish what the routines are of those within the premises." | "He stakes out these houses over a number of days, sometimes for a couple of weeks. We can see that on CCTV he is hiding in gardens - he's looking at houses to establish what the routines are of those within the premises." |
| "The skills that he's using includes carrying a firearm. He uses cable-ties to tie up the occupants of the house. When he enters a house where he knows he is going to be outnumbered he still has the confidence and the ability to overpower those people. | "The skills that he's using includes carrying a firearm. He uses cable-ties to tie up the occupants of the house. When he enters a house where he knows he is going to be outnumbered he still has the confidence and the ability to overpower those people. |
| Whereas most people would need two hands to use a cable tie, Det Insp Fielding said, the suspect is able to tie people up using one hand even while they are struggling. | Whereas most people would need two hands to use a cable tie, Det Insp Fielding said, the suspect is able to tie people up using one hand even while they are struggling. |
| "We believe, based on this, that he may be ex-military or certainly has specialist skills from some sort of [similar] background." | "We believe, based on this, that he may be ex-military or certainly has specialist skills from some sort of [similar] background." |
| Burglaries: Where and when | Burglaries: Where and when |
| On each occasion, the man has used "unnecessary levels of violence", police said. | On each occasion, the man has used "unnecessary levels of violence", police said. |
| One victim, Susan Morris, 61, said: "He knew exactly how hard to hit me. He hit me three times on my face, it was very painful, I couldn't believe the blows kept coming." | One victim, Susan Morris, 61, said: "He knew exactly how hard to hit me. He hit me three times on my face, it was very painful, I couldn't believe the blows kept coming." |
| Mrs Morris said during the raid at her home in Kingswood, Surrey, in October, the man pointed a gun in her back, hit her head against a wall and dragged her across the floor by her hair. | Mrs Morris said during the raid at her home in Kingswood, Surrey, in October, the man pointed a gun in her back, hit her head against a wall and dragged her across the floor by her hair. |
| All the while he kept demanding more jewellery. | All the while he kept demanding more jewellery. |
| Mrs Morris said at one point she could not get a ring and bracelet off, and added: "I actually thought 'he's going to cut my finger off'." | Mrs Morris said at one point she could not get a ring and bracelet off, and added: "I actually thought 'he's going to cut my finger off'." |
| When her husband returned home from work, he found her still tied up with cables and hiding in a bedroom. | When her husband returned home from work, he found her still tied up with cables and hiding in a bedroom. |
| Describing the man, she said: "I would say he spoke well, he had no accent, he didn't have bad grammar, he's an intelligent man, he knows how to assess the situation and carry this out." | Describing the man, she said: "I would say he spoke well, he had no accent, he didn't have bad grammar, he's an intelligent man, he knows how to assess the situation and carry this out." |
| Police believe the man may be ex-military because of his levels of preparation and his "well-spoken, intelligent" language and manner but they have said he could be a current member of the armed forces or law enforcement. | Police believe the man may be ex-military because of his levels of preparation and his "well-spoken, intelligent" language and manner but they have said he could be a current member of the armed forces or law enforcement. |
| Officers say he operates alone, speaks little, threatens to kill people and their dogs and is "incredibly decisive". | Officers say he operates alone, speaks little, threatens to kill people and their dogs and is "incredibly decisive". |
| After DNA from the burglar was found at one crime scene, officers requested and were denied access to the Ministry of Defence's DNA database. | After DNA from the burglar was found at one crime scene, officers requested and were denied access to the Ministry of Defence's DNA database. |
| The MoD said its DNA records were only shared with police if military personnel were under suspicion or convicted of a crime. | The MoD said its DNA records were only shared with police if military personnel were under suspicion or convicted of a crime. |
| A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We are working with the police in their investigation. | A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We are working with the police in their investigation. |
| "We are unable to share DNA taken from personnel before they are deployed on military operations as it is restricted under data protection. | "We are unable to share DNA taken from personnel before they are deployed on military operations as it is restricted under data protection. |
| "If service personnel are convicted of a crime or are under suspicion, DNA records are shared with the police." | "If service personnel are convicted of a crime or are under suspicion, DNA records are shared with the police." |
| Who is the Night Watcher? | Who is the Night Watcher? |
| Police say they are looking for a man who: | Police say they are looking for a man who: |