A serial burglar has been jailed again after cutting a hole in Bluewater shopping centre’s roof and stealing £1.4million worth of watches.
Notorious thief David Buisson, who has previously targeted the home of Lord Alan Sugar, was on licence when he and a co-defendant, Stephen Smitherman, who has since died while on remand, targeted Watchfinder at the shopping complex in February.
David Buisson, 56, has been jailed for stealing watches from Watchfinder in Bluewater. Picture: Kent Police
In the days before the theft, the 56-year-old had made his way into the loft of the store, having entered via a staff entrance, and cut a small hole in the roof where he placed a camcorder.
Footage from the device showed staff members come and go, as well as, vitally, showing a pin code to the store’s safe which had sets of keys for other safes where the watches were kept.
On Friday, February 7, at around 6.44pm, Buisson made his way to the Greenhithe shopping centre and used a telescopic ladder to get on the roof before cutting two holes down into the store and stealing 159 watches.
Buisson was tracked down to Cumbria on February 12 where he was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and was held on remand.
The grandfather, from Harlow in Essex, originally pleaded not guilty in March, but changed his plea at a hearing in July.
During a sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court today (Thursday), victim impact statements from a general manager at Watchfinder told of the emotional distress the incident had caused.
They detailed sleepless nights, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), therapy sessions and a four-week period off work due to stress. The shop was also shut for several days after the burglary.
The court was also told that following the thefts, more than £2,000 of damage was done to the building and a new £17,000 CCTV system had to be installed.
Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour told the hearing that between January 13 and February 2, a Mercedes travelled the same route to Bluewater shopping centre on 16 occasions.
On each occasion, the vehicle was using cloned number plates.
During one visit, Buisson was captured on CCTV entering the shopping centre, which is when he planted the camcorder.
On February 7, an alarm had activated and when staff came to check the premises, they discovered the burglary and called Kent Police.
£1.4million worth of watches were stolen during a burglary at Watchfinder in Bluewater. Picture: Kent Police
A team of specialist detectives were immediately deployed and their initial inquiries identified the Mercedes with its fake number plate that had been used by the burglars.
Their investigation found it had not activated Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in the county other than those at the shopping centre prior to the break-in.
The detectives then examined hours of CCTV and ANPR footage in north Kent and located an identical Mercedes with a different registration number that had triggered an ANPR camera in Dartford after the burglary.
Despite using a different vehicle with cloned number plates, police were able to track the getaway car and his movements through CCTV footage and mobile phone data to a Vauxhall Corsa belonging to Buisson.
Days later, when officers arrested Buisson they discovered the camcorder as well as a bag containing stolen Rolex watches in his Corsa.
Buisson’s defence barrister, Henry Hughes, said the burglary was “meticulously planned” to avoid any staff or customers harm or conflict.
Buisson and Smitherman took 159 watches from the watch store. Picture: Kent PoliceSeveral of the watches are still missing. Picture: Kent Police
However, Recorder Clive Broe disagreed and said he “wasn’t persuaded this was an act of kindness”.
Mr Hughes said Buisson had been involved with serious organised crime groups who claimed he owed them a debt, and that this was his reasoning for targeting the shopping centre and watch shop.
Recorder Broe detailed how Buisson had 13 convictions for burglary and had been released on licence in May 2022.
He described the thefts as being “exceptionally and professionally planned,” before explaining that almost all of the stolen goods remain missing.
In mitigation, Mr Hughes had told the court his client wanted to offer information to police on where they could find some of the remaining watches so that the whole thing could be put behind him.
Recorder Broe sentenced Bruisson to six years and one month in prison.
Buisson used a camcorder to record staff putting in safe codes at Watchfinder. Picture: Kent Police
Investigating officer Det Con Harry Groves said: “Buisson is a career criminal who spent a considerable amount of time planning this high-value burglary.
“Our exhaustive inquiries were able to show there had been a period of reconnaissance both inside and outside the shopping centre and that, on the day of the break-in, steps had been taken to disguise both Buisson’s appearance and the vehicle he was using.
“This burglar bypassed a sophisticated security arrangement and thought he had escaped detection.
“His confidence was misplaced, however, and some dogged investigation, assisted by both the business he had targeted and the Bluewater security team, ensured he was tracked down.
“Buisson is now serving a lengthy prison sentence and our investigation will continue in an effort to recover the stolen watches that have yet to be recovered.”
Deputy chief crown prosecutor Holly Morton added: “David Buisson went through enormous effort to carry out a premeditated burglary that caused significant financial loss to a local business.
“His sentencing sends a clear message that no matter how sophisticated your methods or elaborate your planning, criminals will be robustly pursued by law enforcement, prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service, and brought to justice.
“We remain absolutely committed to working with police to disrupt those who commit such significant burglaries.”