BURGLARS WITH LADDER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21649, 20 May 1932, Page 10

BURGLARS WITH LADDER

ROBBERIES, AT TWO HOUSES SIMILARITY OF METHODS Identical methods were used by thieves in two very daring burglaries which were recently being investigated by the police of'- Surbiton and East Grinstead, Sussex. In each case the thieves planned their raid for a time when the family was at dinner; entered the house by means of a ladder; locked a bedroom door on the inside; and got away with a considerable quantity of jewellery. In both cases, too, nothing was heard of them, although there was a number of people in each house at the time. At the Surbiton house their haul was valued at between £6OO and £7OO, and at the East Grinstead house the jewellery taken was’ worth £SOO.

The Surbiton house is at Ditton Hill, and is occupied by Mr George Blay. It is a largo house standing in about 20 acres of grounds. The thieves entered a back bedroom window by means of a ladder which they carried from the side of the house. They then locked themselves in the bedroom, and proceeded to ransack it.

There were ten people, including six servants, in the house, but nothing suspicious was heard. Neither was a sound heard from two watchdogs. Mr Blay said: “ The thieves must have been in the house from between 7 and 9 o’clock, but we did not hear a thing. The ladder they took was one of the gardener’s, and had been left by the side of the house. . “The thieves ransacked the bedroom in their search 'for jewellery, and took several diamond rings, two diamond wrist watches, cuff-links, a number of brooches, and earrings. In fact practically all my wife’s personal jewellery, which is worth between £6OO and £7OO, was taken. “ It was not until one of the servants went upstairs to prepare the room for the night that we discovered the burglary. The door was locked, and when we went into the garden we found the light on in the bedroom and the ladder up against the open window. “ The burglars may have used a motor car, but they would have no need to bring it into our grounds, as they could have left it in a lane which adjoins the grounds. The car would not have been noticed there. The thieves were very thorough in their work, and were careful to leave no finger-prints.” The other robbery, which was also apparently the work of expert thieves, occurred at Combe Hall, East Grinstead, the home of Mr E. E. Richards. Here, too, entrance was obtained through a back bedroom window, while the family was at dinner. To reach it, the thieves 'lashed two short, ladders together. The burglary was discovered by a son of Mr Richards, Mr Guy Richards, who was staying at the house with his wife. After dinner he went up to his bedroom, and found the door locked. Entrance was forced, and the room was found in dis-' order.

Besides taking all the jewellery they ,could find, the thieves took a wallet containing a pound note and a blank cheque.