Professor's home burgled 12 times in just three years

AN 87-YEAR-OLD disabled grandfather today told how he has been burgled around a dozen times in the last three years – by the same thief.

Renowned zoologist Murdoch Mitchison, who lives near Ormiston in East Lothian, said he has been targeted up to 12 times since 2006 and police believe the same burglar could be behind all the raids.

The widower said a total of £1,000, several bottles of whisky, a mobile phone, electric screwdrivers and two computers have been stolen over the years.

The most recent theft took place on Sunday, when Mr Mitchison's computer was stolen from his bungalow, where he lives alone. The pensioner's keyboard and monitor were left behind.

Mr Mitchison, a father-of-four, said: "My cleaning lady told me that the computer was missing at about nine o'clock on Sunday morning, and I thought 'not again'. I don't know how the thief gets in."

The former Professor of Zoology at Edinburgh University, whose wife Rosalind – the pioneering social historian – died in 2002, uses a walking stick and occasionally a wheelchair.

His concerned daughter Amanda Mitchison, who lives in Bristol, said: "My father is fairly immobile and he is really old and frail.

"He is hard of hearing and the burglaries usually take place when he is sleeping. It is a huge number of burglaries and he is a vulnerable person. At times he gets pretty rattled.

"One of our fears is what if my father came out of the bedroom when the thief was there – would he be pushed over?"

The 50-year-old added: "My father has a security pad that he needs for the carers, so the thief might get in that way if he knows the code."

The bungalow has a number of French windows which the family have now padlocked.

Mr Mitchison also claimed there had been several other burglaries in the neighbourhood.

The grandfather-of-14, whose father Dick was a former Labour MP and peer and mother Naomi a renowned writer, said: "I have never caught the thief before.

"My doors are always locked now, and we have changed the locks on a couple of occasions."

A police spokesman said: "We are aware of several house- breakings that have occurred at Mr Mitchison's property over the last few years, and on each occasion a thorough and detailed investigation has been carried out.

"During this time our officers have also been in regular contact with Mr Mitchison and his family, and the appropriate security advice has been offered as to how the property can be protected.

"We are appealing for anyone who can assist our inquires to come forward."