British expats in Spain have been warned to beef up their security systems after falling prey to a ‘terrifying’ burglar who remains at large.
Chilling footage shows the moment a man in a mask and a grey hoodie breaks into a series of villas between San Pedro de Alcantara in Marbella and Benahavis, on the Costa del Sol.
The brazen thief, dubbed the San Pedro Prowler, is seen picking locks with a sharp implement, which locals said he could use as ‘a weapon if he needs it to be’.
The menacing figure then calmly walks off with his hands filled with goods, including luxury handbags and jewellery.
Among the recent stolen items include €10,000 in cash and a €30,000 watch.
The robber appears to be wearing no shoes and just have socks on during his raids, seemingly to avoid alerting anyone inside the house to his presence.
Neighbourhoods he has targeted include Guadalmina, and La Quinta, in upmarket Benahavis.
The evidence has been collected by Martin Brown, originally from Scotland, who is well connected to the expat community as he runs a property management company.
He told the Spanish Eye: ‘I’m being sent a lot of images with what appears to be the same guy sporting a grey hoodie and a hanging mask.
‘In several cases the victims were in the villa. He enters knowing there are cameras, knowing there are alarms… and knowing people are inside.
‘He has no interest in TVs or such, just targets bags and watches from what we know.’
Martin said that this week in San Pedro he stole €3,000 in cash and a luxury watch that was a family heirloom.
He said: ‘He seems to be able to open patio doors very easily, prising them up from the bottom. He can be in very quickly.
‘In the case of a recent La Quinta robbery, the British couple were inside.
‘He had been inside the house at around 6am and stolen a watch from the bedroom while the victim was asleep.’
When Martin called the Policia Nacional, they told him that ‘this is a job for the Guardia Civil.’
When he called the Guardia Civil, they said he must call the Policia Nacional.
The Guardia Civil polices more rural areas and smaller municipalities in Spain whereas the Policia Nacional is an armed civil force which deals with more serious crime.
Martin said he ended up losing his temper over the confusion and told the police to be at the victim’s house in the next 20 minutes.
‘Two coppers did turn up and they were pleasant, but that is probably the first time I have had the cops turn up after a robbery,’ he said.
‘In a recent San Pedro robbery, they rang the police, who asked if the robber was still in the house, when they said ‘no’, they said just go to the police station in the morning.
‘And this robber had just been inside their house, in their bedrooms… so that’s the attitude of the police.’
Martin advised any homeowner on the Costa del Sol to get centre locks on patio doors and install high-quality perimeter alarms, and to ‘get a big dog.’
Another expat living in Benahavis said that when her area was targeted, thieves ‘always got in through the patio or terrace doors.’
She advised that residents fit bolts ‘that vertically go up and down into the frame so it’s no longer possible to lift the patio doors from underneath.’
The Guardia Civil has been contacted for comment.
