Prolific thief tells police 'you're lucky I'm not grooming girls' after arrest for £19,000 burglary spree, court hears

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:10, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 17:10, 25 June 2026 A prolific burglar who stole almost £20,000 worth of laptops, phones and electronic equipment from businesses across the City of London told police: 'You're lucky I'm not grooming girls' after he was arrested, a court heard. Serial thief Neville Stanbury, 58, carried out a string of raids on offices, barristers' chambers and financial firms despite being banned from entering the Square Mile following an earlier burglary spree. The career criminal, whose offending stretches back more than four decades, admitted seven burglaries, one attempted burglary and breaching a criminal behaviour order after targeting businesses between December 2025 and April this year. Southwark Crown Court heard Stanbury stole electronic items worth £19,570 during the crime spree, taking laptops, iPads, iPhones and other devices from a number of City firms. When challenged by police about the offences, Stanbury appeared largely indifferent. Asked about some of the burglaries, he replied: 'I probably done them, so what?' The court heard he also admitted: 'If you are telling me I did it then I did it.' Matthew Jolliffe, prosecuting, said Stanbury showed little remorse during police interviews. Serial thief Neville Stanbury, 58, carried out a string of raids on offices, barristers' chambers and financial firms despite being banned from entering the Square Mile following an earlier burglary spree 'He expressed frustration regarding people stealing his stuff. He said to the police that they were lucky he had not done worse. He said "You are lucky that I'm not grooming girls".' The court heard Stanbury had repeatedly ignored a ten-year criminal behaviour order imposed in 2022 which banned him from entering the City of London until 2031. The order was imposed after he embarked on another burglary campaign in which almost £40,000 worth of electronic equipment was stolen from businesses. His latest offences followed a familiar pattern, with Stanbury entering office buildings before making off with valuable devices. Prosecutors said CCTV footage repeatedly captured him carrying out the burglaries, often while wearing the same distinctive green cap. Among the businesses targeted were recruitment agency GH Engage, gym Roar Fitness, insurer Zego, finance company VFX Financial and technology firm Wavenet. He also broke into barristers' chambers at Inner Temple, despite already being known to staff there following previous offences. The court heard Stanbury's criminal record dates back to 1984 and includes dozens of convictions for burglary and theft offences committed across London. Ben Hargreaves, defending, said Stanbury's offending was driven by a longstanding addiction to heroin. 'Once an addiction takes its grip it is hard, without sustained and professional help, to rid oneself of the addiction.' He added: 'It is of great regret to the defendant more than it is to anyone, and his churlishness in interview may have been because he was upset with himself for falling on to his old methods.' 'The tragedy is that he was someone who is nearly sixty and he keeps coming back before the court.' But Judge Christopher Hehir said years of opportunities to reform had failed to halt Stanbury's offending. Southwark Crown Court heard Stanbury stole electronic items worth £19,570 during the crime spree, taking laptops, iPads, iPhones and other devices from a number of City firms Sentencing him to three years and four months in prison, the judge said: 'These offences reflect a a spree of non dwelling burglaries committed by you in the City of London. 'You committed no fewer than seven such burglaries and you attempted to burgle an eighth premise. 'Each of these eight offences was committed in flagrant breach of a criminal behavior order which was imposed by Inner London Crown Court in December 2021. 'That criminal behavior order was of ten years in duration. Only a prison sentence of some length is appropriate in your case.' The judge noted that Stanbury had previously been given chances to avoid prison, including a suspended sentence imposed last year. 'When the court has given you a chance by passing a community based sentence you have not taken advantage of that opportunity.' 'Whatever problems you have in your life you adopt a truculent and confrontational approach to authority figures.' 'You tend to blame others for your misfortunes rather than consider whether you are to blame.' Referring to Stanbury's drug addiction, Judge Hehir added: 'The background to this offending is clearly drugs.' 'The only person who can truly help you is you..No one puts a gun to your head and forces you to go out burgling.' Earlier in the hearing, the judge delivered a stark warning about the consequences of continuing down the same path. 'Ultimately the only person who can truly help you is you,' he told him. 'No-one puts a gun to your head and forces you to take heroin or other drugs, and no-one puts a gun to your head and forces you to go out burgling. 'You have a choice – go on wasting more of your life in prison and possibly dying in prison, or take a step back, look in the mirror, and resolve to change your ways.' Stanbury, from Southwark, was jailed for a total of three years and four months. He was also jailed in 2016 for four-and-a-half years after stealing £32,000 worth of property during a five-month burglary campaign in London's legal district. He was also imprisoned in 2002 after being caught stealing laptops from barristers' chambers. When appearing before a judge during previous proceedings in 2022, Stanbury insisted he was not a high-level criminal. 'Well I am not one of the Hatton Garden burglars, your honour,' he said. 'I'm being told that I'm a professional - I'm far from that. That lot that got Kim Kardashian are professionals.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.