Neville Stanbury, 58, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison for a burglary spree totaling more than £19,000. The crimes, which involved stealing electronic equipment from businesses, took place between December 2025 and April 2026 in the City of London, a area Stanbury was explicitly banned from entering under a ten-year criminal behavior order.
Southwark Crown Court heard that Stanbury committed seven burglaries and attempted an eighth. His targets included offices, barristers' chambers, and businesses such as insurance firm Zego, finance company VFX Financial, IT firm Wavenet, and recruitment agency GH Engage. The total value of the stolen property amounted to £19,570.
Stanbury, who has approximately 50 previous convictions for around 140 offenses spanning over three decades, pleaded guilty to the charges. Prosecutors described him as a serial offender, with his criminal record dating back to 1984. During the burglary spree, Stanbury was frequently captured on CCTV, often wearing a distinctive green cap.
One notable incident occurred on December 28, 2025, when he raided offices on Eastcheap, stealing laptops and phones worth over £6,000. He had previously been banned from these premises for intent to steal.
Further burglaries in March and April 2026 targeted Wavenet, VFX Financial, City and Commercial Insurance, and Hubflow, with thousands of pounds worth of electronic goods stolen. When questioned by police, Stanbury exhibited a dismissive attitude. Regarding offenses he could not recall, he stated, 'I probably done them, so what?' He also told officers they were fortunate he had not committed worse acts, remarking, 'You're lucky I'm not grooming girls.' He reportedly responded with 'So what?' when challenged about violating his criminal behavior order.
The court was informed that Stanbury has long funded a heroin addiction through burglary, though he claimed to use the drug to 'calm himself down.' His defense attorney described him as a 'hopeless drug addict,' emphasizing the difficulty of overcoming addiction without professional help and noting the recurring nature of Stanbury's offenses.
Stanbury was previously banned from the City of London until the end of 2031 following an earlier burglary spree where he stole nearly £40,000 worth of electronic items. In 2016, he received a four-and-a-half-year sentence for stealing approximately £32,000 worth of property during a five-month period targeting offices and legal premises.
Judge Christopher Hehir noted Stanbury's offenses were committed in 'flagrant breach' of the criminal behavior order and that past rehabilitation efforts had failed. The judge criticized Stanbury's confrontational attitude toward authority and his tendency to blame others. Addressing the root cause of the offending, the judge stated that Stanbury must take responsibility for change, highlighting the choice between continued imprisonment and personal transformation. Stanbury pleaded guilty to seven counts of burglary, one count of attempted burglary, and one count of breaching a criminal behavior order.