CCTV shows how burglar carried out £10m jewellery heist

New CCTV footage exclusively obtained by BBC News reveals however a burglar stole much than £10m worthy of jewellery and decorator handbags from a London mansion.

The images amusement a masked antheral stuffing handfuls of jewellery into a backpack aft creeping into the multi-million lb property.

A household spokesperson, who was wrong the location erstwhile the theft was carried out, said the intruder moved "like a cat" but appears to person astir been thwarted erstwhile his evident flight way was blocked.

The stolen goods beryllium to Hong Kong socialite Shafira Huang, who was not astatine the St John's Wood location astatine the time, and a reward of up to £1.5m has been offered arsenic the hunt for the thief continues.

Csaba Virag, a spokesperson for Ms Huang's family, said the thief had initially attempted to participate via a first-floor window. Marks that look similar they were made with a screwdriver oregon crowbar were near behind.

When that did not work, the intruder past climbed onto the roof, wherever helium would person seen 2 housekeepers leaving the grounds, earlier lowering himself into a ample factual gutter to participate the location via a bath model connected the 2nd storey.

The bath belonged to a live-in governess, Mr Virag said, who helium was holding a gathering with successful a basement country of the 5 storey spot erstwhile the theft occurred.

"She would person been successful that country and determination would person been a confrontation, which is rather scary," helium said.

Mr Virag said helium heard a banging during that gathering but enactment it down to the beardown winds outside.

"Retrospectively, I tin enactment 2 and 2 together, which astatine the clip you don't truly think," helium said.

The thief was past captured connected CCTV cameras moving astir the location supra them, struggling to unfastened cases containing costly jewellery earlier putting items into his bag.

Time stamps connected 1 CCTV representation released by the household bespeak helium narrowly avoided bumping into the maid erstwhile they walked done the aforesaid hallway seconds apart.

Asked if the thief near the location the aforesaid mode arsenic helium came in, Mr Virag said helium did, but added "I judge it was not his intention".

The thief had entered a "high risk" portion of the location and appears to person tried to permission via a seldom utilized impermanent country astatine the backmost of the property, Mr Virag said.

He continued: [He] tried to unfastened the model from the wrong but we person the information connected the sash window.

"The stoppers lone let you to propulsion it down 8cm and if you don't person the close instrumentality to unscrew the pins, you can't. He tried but couldn't succeed."

As good arsenic jewellery, Hermes Crocodile Kelly handbags and £15,000 successful were besides taken.

The thief, who constabulary judge whitethorn person been armed, is believed to beryllium a achromatic antheral successful his precocious 20s to 30s.

"We impulse anyone who was successful the country of Avenue Road, NW8, and saw thing suspicious to delight travel forward," the Metropolitan Police's Det Con Paulo Roberts said.

"Also, if you person seen this jewellery since, idiosyncratic has offered to merchantability you it, oregon you person immoderate further information, past delight besides interaction the constabulary oregon Crimestoppers anonymously."

A £500,000 reward has been offered for accusation that leads to the apprehension and condemnation of the suspect.

A 2nd reward of 10% of the worth of immoderate recovered items has been offered by the homeowners for accusation that leads to the retrieval of the stolen jewellery.