An Albanian man who smashed through windows and doors to burgle homes across eight counties has been jailed. Gledis Uka, 30, is believed by police to have travelled to the UK each winter, targeting homes between October and January.

Kent Police said Uka stole from properties in Kent, Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Essex, London, Suffolk and Surrey. Footage of his arrest shows officers swooping in on a taxi he was travelling in after a two-year long investigation.

Gledis Uka, 30, is believed by police to have travelled to the UK each winter to target homes (Image: Kent Police)

Det Cons Celia King said: “Uka had no remorse for his victims, smashing his way into the properties and leaving a mess before stealing sentimental items.

“In one of the burglaries, the victim was at home as he broke in, which would have been a terrifying ordeal for them.”

CCTV shows masked Uka creeping around homes at night. One clip shows him being startled when an outside light comes on outside one home. Another shows him testing a window before sneaking off.

Police first received reports of burglaries in Edenbridge, Kent, in December 2023. Uka smashed his way into two homes before snatching jewellery, but his blood was found by forensics at both houses.

The crook continued his crime spree for two years, with multiple reports of homes being broken into in the same way in Edenbridge and Sevenoaks.

Evidence linking Uka to all the burglaries was collected by detectives and led police to go on to arrest him in Essex on January 30.

Uka was snared by police in the back of a taxi (Image: Kent Police)

He was charged the following day with 33 offences, linked to homes across the south of England.

Uka pleaded guilty to 19 offences and on Tuesday, July 14 he was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to 10 years in prison.

Two of the charges were taken into consideration, and the others will remain on file.

Det Cons King said: “This was a complex investigation which highlights the perseverance and dedication of officers for more than two years.

“Due to the time periods between each of the burglaries and the different locations, it was a thorough process to ensure we were able to officially connect them, via our forensic evidence, and link them to one person – Uka.”

She added that once Uka was identified, there were “further complexities” in tracking him down as he was only believed to be carrying out the spate of crimes in England during the winter months.

Ms King thanked the victims for their support throughout the investigation and the other police forces for their help.

The cop said: “I’m glad to see him behind bars and that years of hard work have paid off.”