A BURGLAR who raided over 30 homes across Croydon and South London has been jailed for five years.
Rahiem Mico Ssekkono of Naseby Road, Upper Norwood, was sentenced today at Kingston Crown Court after he was arrested by Merton Buglary Squad on October 29 last year breaking into a house in Sutton.
The 19-year-old was identified by police as a suspect for a spate of burglaries across south London when an officer spotted him acting suspicously near Worcester Park train station on September 22.
When the officer approached him Ssekkono ran off leaving behind a top which the officer picked up.
The same officer then recognised Ssekkono in CCTV footage of a burglary being investigated by police. Police analysed DNA from the top and identified SSekkono.
Ssekkono had burgled a total of 33 properties including seven in Croydon and three in Sutton.
After his arrest officers search Ssekkono's home where they found smartphones, 'Kindle' e-readers, stolen house keys, chequebooks and bank cards taken during burglaries.
They also found items of clothing matching that worn by Ssekkono on CCTV clips linked to some of the burglaries.
Ssekkono also burgled 15 properties in Merton, three in Bromley and five in Surrey.
He was charged on Hallowe'en last year with conspiracy to commit burglary between June 6 and October 29. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Detective Constable Matthew Griffiths, from Merton CID, investigated the case. He said: "An extremely prolific burglar has been jailed as a result of some fantastic work by uniform officers, detectives and forensics officers.
"The 33 burglaries we identified as part of this series were all very similar and because of the sheer weight of evidence put forward, Ssekkono was left with little option than to plead guilty to the charges.
"The evidence from the uniform officer who recovered Ssekkono's top, through to the forensic and detective work to place Ssekkono at several of the scenes through phone and CCTV analysis all added up to an extremely strong case against him.
"Burglary has such a devastating impact on the victims and the judge described his actions as 'a violation of people's homes'. It is good news that such a prolific burglar will now be behind bars for a considerable time and I hope that this result brings some closure for his victims."
