The Burglar Steals Prada: Kiwi Thief Targets Rich Asian Homes in Melbourne
A Kiwi house thief, dubbed as Spiderman, pleaded on Monday guilty to 19 charges, including the theft of expensive and branded items such as Prada watches and Louis Vuitton bags.
The target of 40-year-old Barry John Williams specialises in burgling homes of rich Asians in Melbourne. He has filched $175,000 cash, jewellery and branded bags such as Chanel, Dior, Cartier, Prada and Louis Vuitton.
According to prosecutor Tim Hoare, most of the target homes of Mr Williams were two- or three-storey houses with high perimeter walls. He scales the wall and often enters via the windows of bathrooms connected to the bedroom.
Mr Hoare told the Victorian County Court that Mr Williams has burgled homes in Balwyn, Brighton, Kew and Toorak, driving regularly from NSW to steal from homes since July 2009 until he was caught breaking into a Toorak house in June 2013.
Mr Williams, who was caught twice by his victims, ran immediately from the homes and did not engage in violent acts, the prosecutor noted. He was even cooperative in the investigation, answering over 1,000 questions from detectives.
Because of his complete cooperation with the police, full admission and even a letter of remorse, Judge Bill Stuart said the number of burglary incidents and the amount involved would be also taken into consideration.
The burglar who loves Prada, a migrant from New Zealand since 2002, is slated for sentencing on Tuesday.