Violent 'Night Watcher' burglar suspected of fresh attack on Surrey home

The so-called "Night Watcher" burglar - suspected of stealing more than £1m worth of items in violent raids across the Home Counties - is believed to have struck again.

Police are investigating whether the thief, thought to be a "highly-professional soldier", was behind an incident on Wednesday evening, during which a female victim was tied up and jewellery was stolen.

The victim was threatened with a knife at her home in Reigate and left "shaken" but did not suffer any serious injuries.

The man entered her home at 6.30pm, possibly through a bridle path at the back of the property, and left around 20 minutes later.

The suspect, dubbed the Night Watcher, is believed to have carried out a series of raids in which wealthy victims have been attacked and tied up.

Surrey Police revealed last year that he was suspected of being behind seven raids during a three-year period.

He has since been linked to five more offences in Surrey between 2006 and 2015.

Susan Morris, 61, whose home in Kingswood, Surrey, was raided in 2017, suffered a broken jaw and lost a tooth in the attack.

She said: "One point when he was hitting me with the gun pointing at me, at that moment I did actually think, 'this is it, it's all over'."

Burglaries in Berkshire, West Sussex and Kent have also been linked to the Night Watcher.

The attacks involve meticulous planning and extreme violence, leading officers to believe the burglar may be ex-military.

He appeared to stake out his targets for weeks in preparation, knowing the locations of valuables and the regular comings and goings of homeowners.

The Reigate raider is described as a white man aged 35 to 40, with light brown hair and light coloured eyes.

He is of stocky build and is around 5ft 11in.

He speaks with a southern English accent and was wearing a black woolly hat, a long-sleeved sports-style, zip-up shiny black top, blue jeans and dark tan work boots.

He was also carrying a large black sports bag.

Surrey Police confirmed earlier this month that 224 people had been eliminated as suspects as part of the inquiry.

Initially, officers had considered the theory that the offender had "left the country or died".

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Preston said: "We are under no illusions about the impact these cases have had on the victims and we have been absolutely committed to finding the person responsible."