Bryam Moreno Jailed for Burglaries in Charlton and Oxshott, Lied to Police About Child
A Colombian man has been sentenced to two years in prison after carrying out two residential burglaries—including one at a £4 million property in Surrey—and attempting to mislead police with a fake story about having a child.
Bryam Moreno, 29, was identified from CCTV footage after a couple returned to their home on Sandpit Place in Charlton around 3 p.m. on February 9 to find it had been ransacked. Two masked men had stolen phones, a laptop, and designer bags, and were seen on surveillance cameras carrying screwdrivers inside the flat.
Police later connected Moreno to a burglary at a luxury home in Oxshott, Surrey, just four days earlier. He was arrested by Surrey Police, who found that he had been selling stolen goods to a shop in Brixton.
While in custody, Moreno falsely claimed to police that he had a three-year-old son in an apparent attempt to speed up his release. Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour told Croydon Crown Court that Moreno gave a fake address and date of birth, triggering a six-hour police search that ultimately led nowhere.
Recorder Henry Gordon said the lie was a deliberate ploy and added: “The son had been invented by Moreno in an attempt to expedite his own release from custody.”
Moreno eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and wasting police time.
His defense lawyer, Sachin Rajput, explained that Moreno had lawfully entered the UK in September 2023, but had no legal right to work. He had been working illegally at a restaurant, earning as little as £20 to £30 per day.
Mr. Rajput added: “When he realised it’s difficult to earn enough money in this country to afford your upkeep, he really should have gone home—but instead he committed these offences.”
Judge Gordon imposed a two-year prison sentence, noting that deportation was likely after Moreno’s release.
