Bodycam footage from police shows the moment that police arrested a burglar from Epsom who left his victims feeling “completely violated” after breaking into their homes.

Christopher Potter, 35, pleaded guilty to breaking into eight homes and stealing thousands of pounds worth of jewellery, watches and electronics as well as three counts of fraud by using stolen bank cards.

He was remanded into custody and on April 17 he appeared at Guildford Crown Court where he was jailed for four years.

Potter was found to be responsible for a string of burglaries between December and March this year.

All of the break ins involved a ground floor rear-entry break in and he generally used garden implements, rocks or tools found within the surrounding area.

Police used forensic evidence and CCTV from the shops where stolen cards were used as well as visiting pawn shops where he had attempted to sell the stolen goods.

Potter was arrested on March 6 as he got out of a taxi which police were following.

His victims described feeling “completely violated’ after finding out their homes had been broken into.

One victim said in a victim statement to the court. “With no idea if the perpetrator was still in my home, whether they were nearby or had been gone for hours… I did not know how to react and the fear that it caused, literally left me shaking and feeling completely powerless.”

Another said the items stolen were not even of great monetary value but were hugely sentimental having once belonged to family members who had since died.

They described them as “items that can never be replaced, memories that have now been tarnished by a person who had not been invited into our house.”

Many of the items stolen have been recovered by police and where possible, reunited with their owners.

PC Joseph Brown, the officer in charge of the case, said: “Burglary isn’t just about stealing money or goods from people, it takes from them the sense of safety and security they should feel in their own homes.

“I hope the victims in this case can move forward safe in the knowledge this offender has been caught.

“Potter committed multiple crimes in the space of just a few months and I have no doubt would have continued doing so targeting many more people in our communities had we not been able to build such a strong case against him and get him behind bars.”