A career burglar who shocked police with a disturbing comment after his arrest has been sent to prison following a crime spree that cost businesses around £19,000. Neville Stanbury, 58, admitted breaking into several offices across the City of London over a period of months, despite already being banned from entering the area because of his long history of offending.
Stanbury, who is from Hither Green in Lewisham, carried out a series of break-ins between December 2025 and March 2026. He repeatedly targeted office buildings and businesses, stealing expensive laptops, mobile phones and other electronic equipment before leaving the scene. His crimes caused thousands of pounds in financial losses and disruption for the companies involved.
When officers questioned him after his arrest, Stanbury admitted many of the burglaries. In some cases, he could not even remember the specific offences but simply replied that he had “probably done it.” During the interview, he made a shocking remark, telling police they were “lucky” he had not done something even worse. He claimed he committed burglaries to support his heroin addiction and said officers were “lucky” he was not grooming young girls instead.
At Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hehir sentenced Stanbury to three years and four months in prison. While handing down the sentence, the judge gave him a stern warning about the path his life had taken. He told Stanbury that if he continued abusing drugs and committing crimes, he could spend the rest of his life in prison and might even die there.
The judge said that although many people had tried to help him over the years, real change could only come if he chose to change himself. He told Stanbury that nobody had forced him to take heroin or commit burglaries and that every offence had been the result of his own decisions. The judge urged him to take responsibility for his actions instead of blaming others for his problems.
The court also heard that Stanbury had often been difficult and confrontational with people trying to help him. Previous attempts to keep him out of prison by offering rehabilitation and support had failed because he continued to return to crime. The judge said Stanbury repeatedly blamed other people for his circumstances rather than accepting responsibility for the choices he had made.
His criminal history stretches back more than three decades. Stanbury has around 50 previous convictions covering about 140 offences, with the vast majority involving burglaries of commercial buildings rather than homes. His repeated offending has made him well known to police across London.
Back in 2022, he was given a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from entering the City of London until the end of 2031. That order followed another major crime spree in which he caused around £40,000 worth of thefts and damage. During those offences, he would often slip into office buildings by following authorised staff through secure entrances before stealing valuable equipment.
Even before that, in 2016, Stanbury was jailed for four and a half years after carrying out another burglary campaign across London’s legal district. During that five-month spree, he stole around £32,000 worth of property using almost exactly the same methods.
In his latest offences, prosecutors said Stanbury was repeatedly caught on CCTV cameras. Investigators linked the crimes together because he wore the same distinctive green cap during many of the burglaries, making it easier for police to identify him.
On December 28, he broke into an office building on Eastcheap where he targeted recruitment company GH Engage, Roar Fitness gym and insurance firm Zego. During that raid, he stole laptops and mobile phones worth more than £6,000.
A few weeks later, on January 23, he forced his way through the front doors of barristers’ chambers at 3 Hare Court in Inner Temple. Prosecutors told the court he spent around seven minutes inside before leaving. Staff already knew who he was because he had previously been banned from entering the building after earlier attempts to steal there.
On March 18, Stanbury targeted the offices of IT company Wavenet in Minories. CCTV footage showed him leaving the building carrying a rucksack filled with stolen electronic equipment. He then went on to raid the offices of finance company VFX and insurance business City and Commercial in Duke’s Place, once again stealing laptops and other valuable devices worth thousands of pounds.
His final known burglary took place on April 4 at the offices of Hubflow in Lombard Street. CCTV cameras captured him loading electronic goods worth more than £6,000 into a bag before walking away from the scene.
Police arrested Stanbury just four days later. When officers reminded him that he had breached the Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from the City of London, he reportedly replied, “So what?” He also insisted that he was “not some druggy,” claiming he only used heroin because it helped calm him down.
Stanbury eventually pleaded guilty to seven burglaries, one attempted burglary and breaching his Criminal Behaviour Order.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable James Crellin of the City of London Police said burglary is a deeply upsetting crime that causes significant financial losses, stress and disruption for businesses and communities. He said officers respond to every report of a break-in so they have the best opportunity to gather evidence, identify suspects and bring offenders before the courts.
He added that police will continue to target prolific criminals like Stanbury, using CCTV footage, forensic evidence and other investigative methods to ensure repeat offenders are held accountable for their actions and prevented from continuing their crimes.
