Actress Stephanie Beacham recently recounted a terrifying experience she had faced during a home invasion in west London, where she encountered burglar David Wilson on October 25, 2022.

The 76-year-old “Dynasty” star detailed the incident during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. Beacham recalled hearing a disturbance downstairs and assumed it was someone she knew, only to be confronted by Wilson’s “frightening face” wielding a crowbar. 

“He did have the opportunity to run for the front door, but he didn’t, he leapt up the stairs. He leapt up the stairs and then there it was, a crowbar, over my head, and then the corny dialogue, ‘Give me your money, give me your jewellery, don’t look at me, I wish you weren’t here,’” the actress said.

After complying with his demands, the burglar then directed her to the bathroom, where she promptly locked herself in.

“And I thought, ‘You’ve been such a wimp, you’ve been such a wimp and you haven’t got your phone because you dropped it when you saw him and now he’s got your phone and the other phone is the other side of the bed, [in] the other room’,” she said.

Improvised defence inspired by ‘Panic Room’ scene

Drawing inspiration from a scene in the 2002 thriller “Panic Room,” where Jodie Foster confronts intruders, the “Nightcomers” star improvised her defence using a “wobbly sponge” on a plastic handle and held it by the bathroom door.

“I wasn’t very clear what I was going to do,” Beacham said.

Beacham patiently waited until she heard noises that suggested the intruder had descended downstairs. Seizing the opportunity, she promptly phoned the police.

“Weeks later when I was giving in the report thing, I said, ‘I feel almost sorry for him’, and the policeman was incredibly cross with me. He said, ‘I heard your 999 call, you thought you were going to die,’” she said.

In February 2023, the severity of the incident was acknowledged in court when Southwark Crown Court Judge Martin Griffiths addressed the perpetrator.

“What you did had a traumatic effect on her,” he said, noting its lasting effects on Beacham’s daily life and professional endeavours, such as the difficulty in focusing on her acting responsibilities.

Wilson, who pleaded guilty to the aggravated burglary at Beacham’s residence in London and an additional burglary in Sheffield, received a prison sentence of 10 years and five months in February last year.

Surge in crime targeting HNWIs

High-profile individuals such as celebrities are prone targets to burglary. According to Ghent University criminology researcher Christophe Vandeviver, burglars tend to target homes in wealthier neighbourhoods over less affluent ones. This tendency is exacerbated by the exposure of personal details on social media and the perception of wealth associated with these figures.

One such incident also occurred in October last year when Jorgie Porter revealed chilling details of an attempted break-in at her home in the UK, calling it a “planned” robbery attempt. In a similar vein, Victoria and David Beckham faced a break-in at their London mansion in 2022, resulting in the theft of money, valuable items, and personal belongings.

Statistics from 2022/2023 show a concerning prevalence of home burglaries in England and Wales, with 191,490 cases reported, translating to an average of 525 incidents per day. Recent data also highlight London’s crime rate at 146 percent compared to the national average, with burglary accounting for 4.8 percent of all reported crimes in the region. 

Amid rising criminal activities, the demand for heightened security measures has prompted celebrities and HNWIs to turn to specialised security firms such as Marengo for comprehensive solutions. 

These firms offer tailored assessments of security vulnerabilities, customised security plans, implementation of cutting-edge security technologies, and deployment of trained security personnel to ensure the safety and protection of residences and assets.