A man arrested in Croydon for burglary turned out to be one of the masterminds in a multi-million pound robbery.

Dennis Carr, 35, was arrested in January 2007 while committing an aggravated burglary in Worlingham Road, Croydon.

Police discovered Carr was part of a gang which impersonated police officers to gain entry to Verizon, a telecommunications firm’s offices in Camden.

Dennis Carr, from Enfield and his accomplice, Terry Ellis, 44, from London, claimed they had been called to reports of men on the roof and needed access to the building to check it out.

Once inside they handcuffed the building's security staff, allowing a further four accomplices who were not in uniform to enter.

They told the staff they were cuffed for their own safety because they could not tell who the real staff were and who were the intruders.

The robbers stole £5million pounds of communication equipment, using large laundry bags to take the equipment out in.

The two men have been sentenced to a total of 53 years for their part in the robbery.

Acting Detective Inspector Raj Mahajan, from the Metropolitan Police Service's Operation Grafton, said: "These two men were the linchpins in the organisation of these robberies.

"They used police uniform to con their way into the building, in the process putting the victims they deceived through a very traumatic experience.

"The sentences they have received are a clear indication of the seriousness of the offences they committed and should act as a deterrent to anyone else considering a similar type of venture."

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