‘I’m not a professional burglar, even though I’ve been doing it for 30 years’

A ‘Raffles’ burglar has been slapped with an order banning him from entering the City of London for 10 years following his latest crime spree.

Neville Stanbury, 52, has an appalling record dating back to 1984 for stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from hotels and offices across the capital.

The career criminal – dubbed ‘Raffles’ after the fictional 19th Century gentleman thief – dons a smart suit so he can blend in with office worker as he swipes expensive goods.

Stanbury was jailed for four and a half years at Southwark Crown Court in 2016 after he grabbed £100,000 worth of computers during 40 raids at hotels and offices in seven months.

He had represented himself before he was sentenced and insisted he was not a ‘professional’ criminal.

Stanbury that was a tag better suited to the Hatton Garden gang or the men behind the £8.5m Kardashian gems heist in Paris.

‘Well I am not one of the Hatton Garden burglars, your honour,’ he said.

‘I’m being told that I’m a professional – I’m far from that.’

‘That lot that got Kim Kardashian are professionals..’

Stanbury, of the Old Kent Road, Southwark, was locked up in the Old Bailey in 2002 after he was caught swiping laptops from a barristers’ chambers.

He grabbed electrical equipment worth £40,000 during his latest burglary spree from offices in the City of London last year.

Stanbury admitted five counts of burglary at Inner London Crown Court and sentenced to three years community supervision, six months drug rehabilitation and 180 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Ian Darling handed handed Stanbury a 10 year ban from entering the City of London.

The 10 year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), prevents him from tailgating any person into any building to which he does not normally have access or authority; Impersonating any employee, agent or officer of any company, charity, or public body where he is not an official, verifiable, employed member of staff or contractor; entering the area designated by the City of London which is identified by any road name with a City of London crest and EC1, 2, 3, 4 post codes; taking part in the disposal or sale of electronic tablet devices and or laptop computers; whether directly or indirectly.

Acting Detective Sergeant Kirsty Richardson of the City of London Police said:

‘We are pleased that Judge Ian Darling was able to approve the Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) recommended by the City of London Police, preventing Stanbury from targeting further premises in the Square Mile. Stanbury is a prolific criminal, and his most recent offences, which included theft of electrical equipment from five premises across the City, cost local businesses almost £40,000 in damages and replacement of property.

‘Theft from large organisations is not a victimless crime. Businesses have been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, and criminal activity such as this could be a breaking point for many. We will actively seek to use CBOs to effectively protect the City and the people who live, work and visit here.’