'Likeable' burglar who pretended to be window cleaner before stealing cash jailed

 
Jailed: Levi Bradbury, 31, persuaded some victims to hand over bank cards
Alexandra Rucki9 April 2015
WEST END FINAL

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A “likeable” burglar who charmed his victims into believing he was a window cleaner before stealing money from them has been jailed.

Levi Bradbury, of Chilton Grove, Southwark, was found guilty of a string of burglaries, frauds and thefts which took place between May 2013 and September 2014.

The 31-year-old would visit blocks of flats in Lewisham, Southwark, Hackney and Tower Hamlets posing as a window cleaner.

After convincing residents he was a window cleaner he would stroll into each property and check the windows were closed, claiming it was necessary before cleaning could commence.

The fraudster would tell victims he needed the cash up front, usually £15 to £25 a time, and would walk off telling them he was going to get their change.

But Bradbury would not return and the windows were never cleaned.

He stole cash and a mobile phone from one of the victims, which was located under a tree a short distance from the flat using the Find My Phone app.

Sometimes he would pretend he was part of a larger group of window cleaners working on behalf of their block’s management team – despite having no cleaning materials with him.

He would occasionally walk with residents to a cash point so they could withdraw money to pay him, but did not return home with them.

During three incidents he tricked victims out of hundreds of pounds after persuading vulnerable people to hand over their bank cards.

The victims gave Bradbury their PIN numbers and trusted him to return with the cash, but instead he withdrew large sums of cash of up to £300. He returned the card to only one of the victims.

Bradbury was found guilty of six counts of burglary, three counts of fraud and four counts of theft during a heading at Snarebrook Crown Court.

He was jailed for two years by a sentencing judge at the same court on March 31.

Detective Sergeant Kelly George said: "Bradbury is a likeable, chatty, charming man who used his friendly personality to gain the trust of his victims.

"I would like to remind the public that they should not invite anyone into their home unless they have the correct identification on them and do not hand over your bank cards or PIN numbers to anyone."

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