British expats on the Costa del Sol have been warned to beef up their security following a series of raids by the ‘San Pedro Prowler.’
Exclusive footage obtained by the Spanish Eye shows a man wearing a terrifying hanging mask and grey hoodie breaking into a series of villas between San Pedro de Alcantara (Marbella) and Benahavis over the past six weeks.
The brazen thief is able to pick locks with a screwdriver and is seen making off with his hands filled with goods, including luxury handbags and jewellery. Areas he has targeted include Guadalmina and La Quinta, two upmarket urbanisations filled with British and other foreign residents.
The evidence has been collected by British expat Martin Brown, who is well connected to the expat community as he runs a property management company.
Among the recent stolen items include €10,000 in cash and a €30,000 watch.
Martin told the Spanish Eye tonight: ‘I’m being sent a lot of images with what appears to be the same guy or guys 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 his watch from the bedroom while he 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 – leaving Martin fuming.
The Brit said he ended up losing his temper and telling 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.
‘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.’
The Spanish Eye has contacted the Guardia Civil for comment.
Have you been a victim of the San Pedro Prowler? Contact news@thespanisheye.com
