Prolific burglar jailed for a string of break-ins

A prolific burglar jailed for a string of break-ins across Leatherhead and Epsom. Christopher Potter (13/09/1988) from Epsom, pleaded guilty to breaking into eight homes and stealing thousands of pounds worth of jewellery, watches and electronics as well as three counts of fraud by using stolen bank cards. 

He was remanded into custody and on Wednesday 17th April appeared at Guildford Crown Court where he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Potter was arrested after an investigation by officers was able to connect him to a spate of offences between December and March this year. All the offences involved a ground-floor rear-entry break-in, generally with garden implements, rocks or tools found within the surrounding area.

As well as gathering any forensic evidence, officers painstakingly trawled CCTV from the shops where stolen cards were used and visited pawn shops where attempts to sell stolen items for cash had been made. Their hard work ensured there was strong evidence to connect Potter to multiple crimes.

Potter was arrested on 6, March as he exited a taxi which was being followed by officers on its way through Leatherhead.

In impact statements read to the court, victims described feeling ‘completely violated’ after finding out their homes had been broken into.

One said: “With no idea if the perpetrator was still in my home, whether they were nearby or had been gone for hours… I did not know how to react and the fear that it caused, literally left me shaking and feeling completely powerless.”

Another said the items stolen were not even of great monetary value but were hugely sentimental having once belonged to family members who had now passed away. They described them as “items that can never be replaced, memories that have now been tarnished by a person who had not been invited into our house.”

Many of the items taken from the burglaries have now been recovered and, wherever possible, reunited with their owners.

PC Joseph Brown, the officer in charge of the case, said: “Burglary isn’t just about stealing money or goods from people, it takes from them the sense of safety and security they should feel in their own homes. I hope the victims in this case can move forward safe in the knowledge this offender has been caught.

“Potter committed multiple crimes in the space of just a few months and I have no doubt would have continued doing so targeting many more people in our communities had we not been able to build such a strong case against him and get him behind bars.”