Casing a house in the middle of the night, this is the suspected burglar Fast Show star Simon Day says broke into his home and stole his dog.
In CCTV footage released by the actor, the hooded man is seen prowling around a house belonging to his neighbour shortly before Day says he got into his north London home.
Telling of his anger, the actor, a friend of Johnny Depp, says they stole a handbag belonging to his wife Ruth as well as two cars parked in the driveway and his Jack Russell Pug crossbreed, Coco.
Actor Simon day, 57, is hunting for his pet dog Coco, a Jack Russell Pug crossbreed (above), who was stolen from his north London home during a break-in in the early hours of Wednesday
Day, who starred in The Fast Show and is pals with Johnny Depp, and his wife Ruth (pictured) say they are beside themselves and just want to be reunited with their ‘friendly’ family dog
Simon says Coco (left and right with Ruth) is such a friendly dog that he wouldn’t have barked when the intruders got in. He says the gang would have picked him up and taken him with them
Day released this footage (above) of a man looking suspicious near his neighbour’s home late at night last Wednesday night and believes that this is the man who broke into his home
The 57-year-old handed released footage of the prowler near his home in Willesden Green in the early hours of last Wednesday morning to MailOnline in the hope of catching those responsible.
He said: ‘This is the man I believe broke into my home in the middle of the night and stole my dog. His gang were casing a few properties on the street but our house is the only one they actually got into.
‘They were quick and quiet. They snatched some of my children’s school bags and my wife’s handbag with the cash cards in and went through the drawers to get the car keys.
‘The cars are gone. One was a Renault Captur and the other a Toyota Rav 4 after they ransacked the drawers.
Day put this appeal poster on a tree near his home to find Coco there and went to a shop in Brixton, south London where the gang used a stolen credit card belonging to the actor’s wife
As well as Coco (seen with the star’s daughter), the thieves stole his children’s bags, his wife’s handbag, an X Box game console and two cars parked in the drive after riffling in drawers
‘But all I’m worried about is my dog, Coco. She is very friendly and doesn’t bark. They must have picked her up and walked out with her because she would’ve just gone with them.
‘We’re not worried about anything other than Coco and would appeal to whoever has her to let her go.
‘Also if anyone sees or knows anything, I’ll be very grateful if they can let us know.
‘We know from the security footage that they broke into the house at 2.30am on Wednesday and used one of the cards at 4am at a newsagents in Brixton.’
Day was asleep on the top floor of the detached home with his wife while his children slept on the floor below.
With officers bogged down with other crimes, he has taken it upon himself to seek information even visiting the grocery store his wife’s card was used.
Day and Ruth are upset that although the police are stretched and have other priorities, they haven’t been to the shop in Brixton where the gang visited after raiding their home
He went on: ‘The first we knew that we’d been burgled was when my wife went downstairs at 5.30am and noticed the bags in the kitchen had gone.
‘She then called out for Coco but got no response.
‘We searched the house and couldn’t find her and I went and had a look around the local park but she wasn’t there either.
‘Our local police station closed down a few years ago and the nearest is now a few miles away in West Hampstead.
‘The police don’t really have the manpower at the moment, I know that, but they could have at least sent an officer to check out the shop in Brixton where the card was used.
‘I went down at the weekend to find out if anybody had seen Coco but they hadn’t.
‘My wife and I are in bits, Coco is only eight months old and, although we’ve not had her long, she’s part of our family.
‘The worst thing is not knowing what’s happened to her.
Neighbours of the star say the gang cased a number of houses along the street – but only broke into Day’s home where the actor and his wife were upstairs and slept through the raid
‘Whoever has taken her has taken her for a reason and that is to make money by selling her on the black market but what kind of person steals a family dog?’
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘Police are investigating a burglary at a residential address.
‘The burglary was reported to police at around 6am and is believed to have taken place at some point after 11pm November 26.
‘Two vehicles and a quantity of personal property were stolen.
‘A dog was also reported missing – it is unknown whether she was stolen.
‘Enquiries are ongoing, including analysis of the scene and assessment of available CCTV. There has been no arrest.’
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference CAD 1061/27nov.