A prolific burglar who committed more than 30 burglaries across south London and Surrey was jailed for five years on Friday. 

Rahiem Mico Ssekkono, 19, admitted a spate of 33 burglaries in Merton, Croydon, Sutton, Bromley and Surrey, stashing his haul including smart phones, house keys, cheque books and bank cards at his home.

Ssekkono was arrested by the Merton Burglary Squad on 29 October last year after a break-in during the early hours of the morning at a home in Willis Avenue, Sutton. 

His arrest came after he was targeted in a police operation when detectives identified him as a possible suspect involved in a series of burglaries across the south London area. 
He was recognised by a police officer on patrol in Worcester Park in September last year. The officer spotted a man acting suspiciously and when he approached him, the man ran off and discarded a top, which the officer picked up. 
The same officer then saw a CCTV image of an unidentified person in relation to a burglary being investigated by his colleagues. He recognised the man as being the same person that had run off from him. When DNA from the top was analysed, officers found it was Ssekkono’s.

Following his arrest, police searched Ssekkono’s home in Naseby Road, Gipsy Hill, where they discovered items stolen in burglaries, including smart phones, Kindle e-readers, stolen house keys, cheque books and bank cards. 

Officers also found various items of clothing, which matched that worn by the suspect on various CCTV clips linked to some of the burglaries.
Ssekkono was charged on October 31 last year with conspiracy to commit burglary between June 6 and October 29 last year which he later admitted. 

Detective Constable Matthew Griffiths, from Merton CID, who investigated the case 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 uniformed 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.”

Police said Ssekkono committed 15 burglaries in Merton, seven in Croydon, three in Bromley and three burglaries and one attempted burglary in Sutton. He committed five burglaries in Surrey as well.

He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at Kingston Crown Court.