A shocking cross-county burglary spree has landed two men behind bars after they travelled from Brighton to Ramsgate to terrorize a family and ransack their home.
On April 23, 2025, Harry Grassi and Gary McCarten, their faces obscured by balaclavas, brazenly kicked in the front door of a Ramsgate home on Queens Gate Road. The terrified residents fled upstairs, but McCarten relentlessly forced his way into their hiding place while the duo plundered the ground floor. After a harrowing ordeal, the burglars escaped with a safe, car keys, a purse, and passports. Although the thieves had already fled by the time officers arrived, investigators quickly used ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) to track their vehicle as they sped back to Brighton. The abandoned car was soon located, and forensic analysis linked both Grassi and McCarten to the crime through DNA evidence. The pair were arrested in May and June 2025.
At Canterbury Crown Court on September 11, both men pleaded guilty. Gary McCarten, 36, received a sentence of three years and nine months for burglary and theft with violence. Harry Grassi, 26, was sentenced to one year and ten months for burglary and theft.
“McCarten and Grassi caused immeasurable heartache for the family involved in this crime and left them feeling unsafe in their own home,” said Investigating Officer DC Martin Aird. “We were able to track the offenders out of county and used sophisticated forensic and tracking techniques to bring them to justice.”