Barnet residents lose £7,000 Rolex as burglars receive prison terms
Two men were sentenced for a string of burglaries that included a January break‑in at Oakleigh Park North, where a £7,000 Rolex was taken.
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On 30 January a house in Oakleigh Park North, Barnet, was entered by force and a Rolex watch worth £7,000 was taken. The incident formed part of a wider pattern of burglaries that later resulted in two offenders being sent to prison.
Sentences handed down
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The former Tottenham defender was convicted at Wimbledon Magistrates Court after a TfL officer saw him tailgate a friend through St Paul’s Station barriers on 2 May.
At Isleworth Crown Court, Clirim Ferizi, 26, of Tookey Close, Harrow, was ordered to serve two years in prison on 20 August. His partner in the offences, Oresti Saliaj, 40, of Wembley Park Drive, Brent, had already been handed a custodial term of three years and six months on 22 April for the same series of break‑ins.
Investigation linked offenders
Metropolitan Police detectives examined Oyster card usage to place the pair at the Oakleigh Park North scene. CCTV captured the men arriving at Ruislip station, boarding a bus to the address, and later returning to the underground where Ferizi topped up his Oyster card before leaving the area. This travel footprint formed a core element of the evidential picture presented at trial.
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Metropolitan Police data shows a significant number of young people and men were among the victims between June and August 2026.
These offenders deliberately targeted families in their own homes, causing emotional distress and fear to their victims.
Detective Sergeant Ross Smith
Impact on the community
The victims were South Asian families, a demographic the pair believed would hold high‑value jewellery. Court records listed the stolen items as the £7,000 Rolex, gold earrings valued at £1,500 and an antique gold‑and‑diamond ring worth £1,200. Smith noted that burglary incidents across London have fallen by six per cent over the past year, a trend he linked to increased patrols and the use of travel‑data analysis.
What next
Residents who suffered loss are advised to contact the Metropolitan Police for any further information and may access support through Barnet Council’s victim liaison service. While the council has not announced new measures specific to Oakleigh Park North, the case demonstrates how transport data can be deployed to identify and prosecute burglars, potentially deterring future offences.
Questions this report answers
+What sentences did the burglars receive?
Clirim Ferizi was sentenced to two years in prison on 20 August, while Oresti Saliaj received a term of three years and six months on 22 April. Both sentences were handed down at Isleworth Crown Court for a series of burglaries that included the Oakleigh Park North break‑in.
+What was stolen in the Oakleigh Park North burglary?
Police recorded that the intruders took a Rolex watch valued at £7,000, gold earrings worth £1,500 and an antique gold‑and‑diamond ring estimated at £1,200. The theft occurred on 30 January at a South Asian family home in Oakleigh Park North, Barnet.
+How did police link the men to the burglaries?
Detectives used Oyster card travel data to trace the suspects’ movements on the day of the Oakleigh Park North break‑in. CCTV showed the pair using public transport to reach the address, and a later top‑up of an Oyster card placed them back at a nearby station, forming a key part of the prosecution’s case.
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