Television Personality Paul Gorton Urges Caution After Burglary
The 'Traitors' star believes sharing holiday photos online may have led to his home being targeted.
Paul Gorton, a participant in the second season of the BBC series "The Traitors," is advising the public to exercise greater caution when posting vacation images on social media. Gorton stated that his home in Cheshire was burgled shortly after he shared photographs of his family holiday online, suggesting the posts may have indicated his absence.
"The eerie bit is at 21:10 BST I posted that me and Kate were by the side of the pool, we've got full bellies, the kids are in bed, we're actually having our little bit of the holiday," Gorton recounted. "About 20 minutes later, little did we know, our house has been broken into."
The burglary, which occurred on August 28, resulted in the theft of Gorton's bicycle and several sentimental items, including a ring belonging to his wife Kate's grandmother. The perpetrators gained entry through bi-fold doors at the rear of the property using a technique known as lock snapping and disabled the home's broadband connection.
Cheshire Police are investigating the incident, which they described as a "one-off hit." Gorton, however, suspects it was a targeted attack, speculating that the burglars may have observed his social media activity.
"This makes me suspect that it could be someone that follows me. They've seen that I've posted that I was away and then thought 'let's go in the house and see if we can get ourselves some goodies'," he said.
Following his experience, Gorton has collaborated with Compare the Market, which commissioned a private investigator to examine the digital footprints of nine volunteers. The investigation revealed that home addresses could be identified using publicly available information, with the fastest identification taking just 15 minutes. The first lead was found in as little as 50 seconds.
"It's not just about social media," Gorton emphasized. "I've learned to think about the whole picture with locks, alarms, lights, what you're posting online and whether you're accidentally advertising that nobody's home."
Cheshire Police confirmed that investigations are ongoing, and no arrests have been made.