A notorious armed home invader nicknamed the Night Watcher has been linked to a burglary on the Keston Park estate in Bromley. 

The violent burglar is believed to be a “highly professional soldier” who targets London and the Home Counties. 

The Mirror reports that he has now been linked to four more armed burglaries, meaning that he is now believed to have raided 17 homes since 2006. 

Previously Surrey Police had said they had been considering “hypotheses” that the Night Watcher had left the country or had died. 

One of the four new burglaries took place in October 2021 when he attacked two women in a home in Keston Park, leaving them requiring hospital treatment. 

The other three new offences all took place in the Tonbridge area of Kent in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

The previous raids believed to have been carried out by the same burglar, nicknamed the Night Watcher, included two in Kingswood, Surrey, and others in Maidenhead, Berkshire; Chichester, West Sussex; Sevenoaks, Kent, Maidstone, Kent; and Virginia Water, Surrey.     

Police say the meticulous research and use of extreme violence used by the intruder, who raids homes while armed with a sawn-off shotgun, suggests he is currently or has previously served with the armed forces. 

The burglar is believed to stake out his targets for several weeks in order to intimately understand the comings and goings of the wealthy occupants and learn the locations of safes and valuables inside. 

The "well-spoken intelligent thief" is also believed to have entered some of the properties prior to the raids in order to better understand the layout of the rooms. 

In one raid, he was so confident that the alarm could not be raised that he spent more than an hour with the occupants until he had gathered all the items he wished to steal. 

A secluded home in Reigate, Surrey, was targeted in 2019 in an incident during which the female victim was tied up and jewellery was stolen. 

The man entered the home in Wray Lane at 6.30pm, possibly via a bridle path at the back of the property, and left at approximately 6.50pm. 

The raider in the Reigate incident is described as a white man, aged 35 to 40, of stocky build, 5ft 11in, with light brown hair and light coloured eyes. 

He was wearing a black woolly hat and something woollen across his mouth so only his eyes and eyebrows could be seen. He was also wearing a long-sleeved sports-style, zip-up shiny black top, blue jeans and dark tan work boots. 

He had a local accent and no distinguishing marks that were noticed. He was carrying a large black sports bag. 

The Night Watcher burglar has been described as white, of stocky/muscular build, around 6ft and he spoke to the victims with a south of England accent. 

A police spokeswoman said: “Kent Police is [investigating] a series of five burglaries between November 2016 and January 2022 where isolated properties have been targeted. 

“It is reported that on each occasion a lone offender threatened victims in order to steal cash and high value possessions including jewellery and watches. 

“Victims have been threatened with a firearm and restrained with cable ties and ropes. 

“Inquiries have included extensive review of any CCTV, as well as a full forensic review of each burglary. Officers are also continuing to work closely with other police forces, where similar burglaries have taken place.”