Warick Rapela has been sentenced for five residential burglaries in Surrey and Essex.

Over three months at the beginning of 2026, a burglary spree shattered doors and feelings of safety, stole treasured belongings and pocketed items of value throughout Runnymede.

We first received a 999 call in early January. The residents had arrived home to their back door smashed in and glass scattered over the floor. While nothing physical had been stolen from the house, the occupants were robbed of the safety they previously took for granted in their home. In CCTV recovered, a lone hooded figure skulked around the property to try and find entry into their home. Later, a moped was spotted leaving the area on cloned plates.

At the next property – a family home – the back fence had been broken and the glass side door shattered which allowed the burglar in their search for valuables to trash the house then steal items and cash totalling over £24,000. Once more, a man in a hooded black jacket was spotted and a moped was later identified leaving the scene with cloned plates.

The person’s greed led them to burgle other homes in Surrey, each following the same pattern – a smashed door or window, a hooded man acting suspiciously and a moped on cloned plates speeding away.

However it was on final property that things started to turn.

Through various enquiries officers managed to track down the moped’s real plates, leading them to Rapela’s home address. On arrest, officers found in his home numerous fake number plates, a signal jammer and a high-visibility jacket that matched CCTV footage of the moped traveling to and from the targeted addresses.

He was subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit burglary on Thursday, 7 May 2026. Warick Rapela, 42 (08/08/1984) of Heybridge, pleaded guilty to four counts of residential burglary, as well as a burglary offence from 2024 in Essex. Rapela was sentenced on Wednesday, 29 July 2026 at Reading Crown Court to three and a half years.

The investigating officer, Police Constable Rebecca Clarke said: “This was a great result which shows the tenacity of Surrey Police in pursuing offenders of acquisitive crime. We will continue to relentlessly pursue offenders in order to obtain justice for our victims.

“Beyond the financial impact of the offences, burglary has a huge effect on the wider community, not to mention completely destroying the victims’ feeling of safety in their own homes. Hopefully, this result will bring them some closure.”