A man was arrested in Pinner on Christmas morning and been charged with aggravated burglary after allegedly threatening an elderly woman with a knife.
The 32-year-old man appeared in custody at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Boxing Day (26 Dec) charged with two counts of aggravated burglary and one count of attempted aggravated burglary..
He was remanded to appear at a crown court on a date to be confirmed.
At around 7:30am on Christmas morning, police were called to reports of an aggravated burglary in Pinner.
An elderly woman was threatened with a knife after a man gained access through patio doors. He then made off with a quantity of cash.
While police were responding to that incident, they were called at 7:55am to a man seen by a neighbour running from a burglary at another address in Pinner and at 8:05am to an attempted break-in nearby.
There were no reports of any injury in the three incidents, which were quickly identified as linked.
A number of lines of enquiry were rapidly investigated, resulting in a police raid at around 8:30am at an address in Pinner Hill Road.
Items recovered by police included a knife and a rucksack. The man was then arrested He was taken into police custody and later charged as above.
A/Chief Inspector Jason Stewart of the Met’s North West BCU said: “Police officers came into work across the capital on Christmas Day as part of their total commitment to protecting our communities.
“Their response to these incidents in Pinner was rapid and diligent. Using their skills and local knowledge, they were able to arrest a man very soon after the burglaries.
“I’d like to thank our Response Team officers and CID detectives for some excellent joint working.
“There were over 6,000 calls to the Met and other operational taskings recorded on Christmas Day, all of which will have been assessed and acted upon.
“We know that Londoners appreciate the dedication of the officers who are working throughout this festive season and who will continue to act with determination and professionalism to keep them safe and to target the criminals whose offending is a year-round activity.”
(Source: Met Police)
