Hunt for the elusive Night Watcher: Police launch chilling footage and audio of prolific masked robber as he pistol whips and ties up screaming girl in her own residence in terrifying £1.5m raid

Detectives hunting for a violent robber suspected to be the elusive ‘Night Watcher’ have released a chilling new video with audio in an effort to finally snare him.

The man’s voice can be heard in the new CCTV of his latest crime in which he pistol-whipped a 63-year-old woman in a £1.5million jewellery raid near Sevenoaks in Kent.

The armed and masked thief carried out the ‘professional’ robbery in June last year on the woman, confronting her alone in the front garden of her secluded home.

The raider was seen running towards her, appearing to clutch a pistol by the barrel with the grip exposed. He then grabbed her as she walked towards her front door.

The Night Watcher is already wanted for a series of similar raids dating back to 2006 across Surrey, Sussex, Kent, London and Berkshire – and the Sevenoaks raid could be his 18th target. Kent Police are investigating possible links to the other cases.

In shocking new CCTV broadcast on BBC‘s Crimewatch Live today, the suspect demands the Sevenoaks woman’s keys – and his victim’s screams can be heard as she is marched at gunpoint to the garage where he forces her to open a safe.

The raider is heard saying: ‘The key to the garage. Open it! Open the garage. Open the garage. Open it!’ His voice becomes more agitated as he makes the demands.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, is then forced into the house where she is forced to open a second safe – before the raider hits her across the head with the gun, splitting her forehead open in the ‘mindless and violent’ attack.

The victim was then bound using electrical cables from lamps with her hands and feet all tied together before the raider continued his search for more valuables.

The suspect fled from the property on a bicycle with over 50 items of jewellery including rings, diamond-encrusted earrings, a sapphire pendant and watches.

He targeted the large house on a quiet private road on the outskirts of wealthy Sevenoaks near the Wildernesse Golf Club at 3.55pm on June 21 last year.

The victim, who was found by her husband when he came home one hour after the attack, spoke for the first time about the ordeal on Crimewatch Live today.

With her face hidden and her voice changed, she said: ‘It was a lovely sunny day. All of a sudden there was this armed robber pointing a gun at me. I was shocked. He grabbed my collar and told me to open the safes.’

She told how she went to the garage and opened the safe there before being dragged to the house. Once she had opened the safe upstairs in the bedroom, the raider struck her with the weapon.

The woman said: ‘He split my forehead open with gun. There was blood everywhere, in my eyes. He tied my hands and then my feet and then tied them together. The pain was excruciating.

‘He then put a chair on my back and I lay there in sheer panic. I thought “oh my goodness, is he going to kill me?”.’

An hour later her husband came home and was confronted with the scene which he said was like a ‘horror movie’. He raised the alarm and she was taken to hospital.

The woman said of the robber: ‘He has done this many times I believe and was pretty professional. I don’t see the reason why he had to split my head open. He’s a complete coward.’

The team of detectives investigating the attack have established that the suspect used the rail network and had accessed stations including Staplehurst, Marden and Hildenborough.

He was wearing a face mask, cream coloured baseball cap and had trainers with distinctive red soles. He also sometimes wore a high-visibility top when cycling.

Police said their investigation remains ongoing, and the raider is now also being formally linked to at least five other burglaries in Kent since 2016, stealing items worth a total of more than £600,000.

These include:

• November 2016, Ide Hill – jewellery and watches worth around £60,000;
• January 2017, Maidstone – jewellery and watches worth around £75,000 along with cash;
• August 2020, Marden – jewellery and watches more than £100,000 as well as cash;
• September 2021, Marden – jewellery and watches worth £23,000;
• January 2022, Shipbourne – jewellery and watches around £400,000 as well as cash.

Police said linguistic experts believe the suspect’s accent is of someone from the ‘prosperous southern counties’.

Detective Inspector Maxine Harris of Kent Police appeared on the BBC programme to talk about the investigation and to urge viewers to listen to the audio clip of demands made by the offender to his victim.

The show also aired some of the latest images linked to the case, including that of the bag carried by the suspect. This was described as possibly a Timbuk2 brand.

New and enhanced photos were also published of the suspect’s appearance and clothing, as well as his partially disguised face.

Detective Inspector Maxine Harris said: ‘We are continuing to make significant and extensive enquiries to track down the man responsible for this cowardly assault and burglary.

‘It is possible he has strong connections to the Staplehurst area, although we are not discounting that he may live outside of Kent. He should not be approached.

She added: ‘Our officers have been making further house-to-house enquiries throughout the Staplehurst area and we are now also urging residents to listen to the audio recording of the suspect’s voice, which includes demands made to his terrified victim.

‘If you think this voice sounds even vaguely familiar to someone you may know it is vital that you contact us.’

The husband of the victim in the Sevenoaks robbery spoke in August, saying: ‘I guess it has to be said that the events of June 21 have undoubtedly changed our lives.

‘The mindless and violent attack on my 63-year-old wife was what you might expect to see in a horror movie. Finding my injured wife with her hands and legs bound was truly shocking and that image will stay with me for a very long time.

‘Our home no longer feels like our safe haven, but a constant reminder of the mental and physical trauma inflicted by a callous armed robber wearing an intimidating balaclava.

‘It is so important that the investigating officers at Kent Police find this cowardly villain and prevent him from attacking other vulnerable and innocent people in their homes.’

Police are liaising with the National Crime Agency as well as other forces as part of their investigation.

The Night Watcher is wanted for a series of similar raids dating back to 2006.

Kent Police say the possible link to other cases across the South East is an ‘active line of investigation’.

His violent crime spree is thought to have begun in 2006, but detectives did not link raids until 2017.

Officers have previously suspected the Night Watcher may be a former soldier using his military training to carry out the raids and avoid detection.

He has been linked to four break-ins – three in Kent and one in London – since 2019 when police last released details about his crimes.

During the robbery in the capital, in 2021, he attacked two women in their home, with both needing hospital treatment.

Always working alone, the robber selects isolated properties in affluent areas and then is thought to carry out night-time surveillance to analyse routines and security arrangements.

Wealthy victims include the Duke and Duchess of Richmond, who were attacked in their stately home of Goodwood House in West Sussex in 2016.

A £10,000 Crimestoppers reward has been offered for information that leads to the conviction of the suspect in the Sevenoaks robbery.

Anyone with information which may assist the investigation should call Kent Police on 01622 652006 quoting reference 46/102682/24. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or by using their online form

Crimewatch Live – A Violent Burglary is available to watch again on BBC iPlayer