Cat Burglar Got Claws Into London's Elite

Millionaires Row - Moreton Terrace, Pimlico

A 'Quality Street' cat burglar, who targeted properties in London's most exclusive neighbourhoods, stealing £25,000 worth of loot from twelve homes during a three-week blitz, has been jailed for two years.

Industrial floorer Daniel Normon, 27, of May Blossom Walk, Spalding, Lincolnshire booked himself into a hostel as a base for his crime-wave in the boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.

He either forced open roof hatches to the unoccupied properties and descended through attics or climbed up scaffolding during construction work to break into the houses and flats, some worth in the multi-millions.

Normon pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to burgling a terraced house and flat in Oakley Street, Chelsea; a flat in Ebury Street, Pimlico; a fourth-floor flat in Linden Gardens, Kensington; a three-storey townhouse in Moreton Terrace, Pimlico and a flat in Danvers Street Chelsea.

He asked for six similar domestic burglaries in the same area to be taken into consideration, plus a theft when he was confronted in a garage by the home owner, having stolen car keys from the property.

Prosecutor Mr. Olu Philips told the court all the offences were committed between November 15 and December 3, last year, with Normon identified after leaving either his fingerprints or DNA at the scene.

He took a laptop, cash and jewellery from the first property after forcing first a roof and then loft hatch and using an identical method burgled a £3m property in the same road, taking cash, jewellery, two ipads and soiling the attic before leaving.

Again breaking in via the roof hatch to the Ebury Street home he took a camera, bracelet and apple mac computer, then clambered up scaffolding to break through a window at the fourth property, taking cash and a watch.

Normon climbed scaffolding at the five-bedroom townhouse to break in via the roof hatch and took valuables including the victim's late grandfather's watch and in his final raid took cash and passports after smashing through the ceiling.

Three days later police arrested him at the hostel and over half of the stolen property was recovered.

“He feels a great deal of remorse and regret,” said Normon's lawyer Mr. Dan Darnbrough. “He has been remanded in custody for three months and it is the first time he has been in prison.

“He now knows what it feels like and is looking forward to a fresh start on his release.

“He incredibly regrets these offences and will not do anything like this again in a million years.

“He owns his own flat and has been in full-time work since he left school at the age of sixteen. He was a normal man who went to work and socialised with friends at the weekend.

“The motivation for these offences were entirely financial and born out of desperation,” added Mr. Darnbrough. “He split up with his partner in September last year and was still very much in love with her.

“She told him she was struggling financially and he decided to give her his three thousand pounds in savings and then she asked for more money, threatening to turn to prostitution.

“People have done many stupid things for love and Mr. Normon decided to help his ex-partner and felt he had little option, but to stop her taking the course of action she threatened.

“He is clearly not a professional burglar and did not know what he was doing, often leaving behind a hat or a scarf at the premises.”

Judge Phillip Matthews told Normon: “The impact on home owners and occupiers is great and for some very long-lasting.

“You repeatedly targeted these homes during the day while the occupants were not present and you defecated at one of the properties, leaving excrement, and you stole high-value and sentimental items.”