2nd May, 2024
A deadly serial burglar, Paul Debenham has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the Croydon Crown Court in London.
Fingerprints left on a box of alcohol he discarded while fleeing a scene resulted in Debenham’s sentence on Monday, 29 April, 2024.
Debenham, 30 of no fixed address was sentenced for a linked series of aggravated burglaries in the Orpington area, as he targeted the elderly, as on two occasions he broke into homes whiles the residents were inside.
The police reports that the first time, on Tuesday, 31 October 2023, Debenham forced his way into a house in Spur Road, wielding a handgun at the occupant, a 78-year-old man, and pushed a 76-year-old woman to the floor before stealing their car.
He was said to have fled the scene in the stolen car, and a few days later offended again.
The police added that on Thursday, 2 November 2023, Debenham used a brick to smash a glass panel in the back door of a 96-year-old woman’s property on Blenheim Road, Orpington, saying that he rushed in and started to threaten the woman with a hammer, demanding she hand over car keys and jewellery.
According to the police, while inside, Debenham was caught on an internal CCTV camera, as the footage clearly showed him rummaging around the property – evidence which was crucial to the police investigation.
Investigating officer PC Rob Melton from the burglary investigation team at Bromley Police Station said Debenham was a ruthless criminal who committed crime to fund his lifestyle.
Melton said he showed no remorse for the long lasting impact these offences would have on his victims.
He stated that Debenham’s arrest and the substantial evidence against him was the result of a combined effort by a number of local police units, as he would now serve a substantial sentence which would protect the public from his despicable crimes.
The police added that alongside the two aggravated burglaries, Debenham was also charged with four commercial burglaries, seven residential burglaries, theft of a motor vehicle and vehicle interference.
The police said with a total of 15 offences linked to him, Debenham was identified through extensive CCTV enquiries after footage was obtained from a number of residential and retail properties.