The man who was burgled 20 times - and turned to desperate measures

Graham Jagger, a 51-year old electrician, has had his home burgled 20 times. In one two-month period, he was targeted by thieves ten times, and over the five years he has lived in the property, he has had around £30,000 of items stolen from his garden, shed and garage. He told Channel 5 that he had spent £15,000 taking desperate measures to keep the criminals out.

Jagger moved to the three-bedroom semi-detached house in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, five years ago, and was first hit by thieves after 18 months. He took advice from police, and installed crime prevention measures, but thieves still got in.
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Eventually his insurer refused to cover him for any more burglaries, so he told Channel 5s, Horror Homes programme that he had no alternative but to take matters into his own hands.

He used his savings and a business loan to install a 7-foot spiked steel fence around his property. He also installed four CCTV cameras, so he has recorded evidence if he is ever burgled again. He added that since he took these steps, he's seen no more of the burglars.

That's not all

However, that wasn't the end of Jagger's stress. As we reported in January, he has since run into difficulty with the council. The fence had been up for a year when a neighbour contacted the council and complained that it caused a slight blind spot for passing motorists, and insisted that the fence should have had planning permission.

Eventually planners agreed to allow the fence to stay - but said that part of it would have to be moved back 3 feet - at a cost of £3,000.

Jagger pointed out at the time that he had never wanted to erect the fence in the first place, as it made his home look like a 'prison yard'. He added that he had needed a loan to install the fence in the first place, so he could ill-afford the changes.

Jagger told Channel 5 he had been at breaking point over the burglaries, so an ongoing row with the council - followed by an expensive bill - can't have helped.

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