HOUSEBREAKING.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18101, 17 June 1924, Page 6

HOUSEBREAKING.

A DARING OPERATION AT SPREYDON.

An impudent case of housebreaking and theft is reported to have occurred in Spreydoii yesterday between noon and 1 p.m., when the dwelling in 35 Aylmer street, occupied by Mr and Mrs Thompson and Mrs Thompson's mother, Mrs Sarah Holt, until recently licensee of the Sandridge Hotel, Sydenham, was entered and, amongst other articles, jewellery valued at close upon £IOO was stolen. The occupants were absent from the house for close upon an hour and ft half, and on their return the first intimation thev got that the premises had been broken into was given when it was noticed that a portion of the .narrow leadlight on the front door had been broken. The front door is reached by a porch, and the housebreaker's procedure appears to have been to scrape away some of the lead attaching the leadlight to the woodwork of the door; he then broke off a portion of the leadlight which enabled him to put Ids hand inside and turn the Yale lock of the front door and thus gain entrance to the house. To go over the premises and gather the valuables together and decamp with them was a t matter of comparative easiness. It is assumed that the housebreaker must hare made himself acquainted with the character <if the occupants, also with their comings and goings. The house is surrounded by other houses from which tho housebreaker could have been seen easily, but owing to the position of the front door it is unlikely that any of the would have been able to detect the housebreaker'at the actual iworli of removing a portioa of tho leadlight. The jewellery stolen included two diamond rings and some gold bracelets.