A serial burglar has been jailed for 12 years after police identified him through fingerprints left on a box of alcohol he discarded while fleeing a scene.
Paul Debenham, 40, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Monday after being linked to a series of robberies in the Orpington area.
Debenham often targeted the elderly and on two occasions even broke into homes while residents were inside.
On Tuesday, 31 October 2023, Debenham broke into a house on Spur Road while brandishing a handgun. He pushed a 76-year-old woman to the floor and threatened a 78-year-old man before stealing their car.
He fled in a stolen car and reoffended days later. On Thursday, 2 November 2023, Debenham broke into a 96-year-old woman's home on Blenheim Road by smashing a back door glass panel with a brick.
Once inside, he threatened the woman with a hammer, demanding car keys and jewellery.
An internal CCTV camera captured Debenham rummaging through the property, providing crucial evidence for the police investigation.
PC Rob Melton, from the burglary investigation team at Bromley Police Station said: “Debenham was a ruthless criminal who committed crime to fund his lifestyle. He showed no remorse for the long lasting impact these offences would have on his victims.
“Debenham's arrest and the substantial evidence against him was the was the result of a combined effort by a number of local police units. He will now serve a substantial sentence which will protect the public from his despicable crimes.”
Alongside the two aggravated burglaries, Debenham was also charged with four commercial burglaries, seven residential burglaries, theft of a motor vehicle and vehicle interference.
With a total of 15 offences linked to him, Debenham was identified through extensive CCTV enquiries after footage was obtained from a number of residential and retail properties.
He left a box containing a bottle of alcohol at the scene on Spur Road, from which his fingerprints were recovered.
