Burglars jailed for raid on John Terry's Surrey mansion Published duration 28 July 2017

image copyright PA image caption John Terry and family were away skiing when the break-in happened

Burglars who raided the Surrey mansion of former England captain John Terry and took designer goods worth more than £400,000 have been jailed.

Terry's home was targeted after he posted pictures from the French Alps and told 3.4 million Instagram followers he was having "a great few days away skiing with the family".

At Kingston Crown Court four men admitted conspiracy to commit burglary.

A fifth man admitted handling stolen goods.

Designer handbags

Judge Susan Tapping said the burglary at the Oxshott mansion was part of a "carefully planned" series of seven raids in which goods worth £600,000 were stolen from luxury homes in Surrey and Sussex.

At Terry's home, the burglars took designer handbags worth £126,000, including items by Chanel, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, and jewellery worth more than £220,000.

They also took rare signed Harry Potter first edition books valued at £18,000.

The judge said the house was "deliberately targeted" in February and the master bedroom suite ransacked.

"It might have been a mistake to post a family photograph on social media to show that he was away on holiday," she said.

She said the gang were "experienced, if not professional burglars" and were not content with their first haul.

They returned with an unidentified man, who was not in court, and an angle grinder, "determined to get in the safe" - but the noise woke the housekeeper and triggered an alarm.

After the hearing, Det Con Phil Carter said the gang had targeted high-value homes, some with the occupants present which was likely to have been "very upsetting". He said the loss to victims was "substantial".

The gang received the following jail sentences:

Darren Eastaugh, 30, of Bedfont, London: seven years, three months;

Joshua Sumer, 27, of Havant, Hampshire: eight years;

Roy Head, 28, of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey: seven years, four months;

Oliver Hart, 25, also of Walton-on-Thames: five years, four months;

Kye Hardy-King, 25, of Hounslow, London, who admitted handling stolen goods: 12-month sentence suspended for a year, two-month curfew and rehabilitation.

Related Topics Oxshott