Five arrested over break-in at Defence Secretary's flat

FIVE people have been arrested following a burglary at the home of the new Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, Scotland Yard said last night.

The Scots-born Conservative Cabinet minister's Skoda car and laptop computer were stolen when thieves broke into his central London flat while he was in the property.

Dr Fox, 49, dialled 999 when he discovered the break-in after getting out of the shower on 22 April.

Police suspected the burglars entered the flat through an open patio door leading from the rear balcony. Several knives were left on a kitchen worktop to cover their escape.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said that detectives from Southwark burglary squad had arrested five people, before releasing them on bail.

The five arrested are three boys – one aged 17 and two aged 14 – and two men, aged 19 and 22. All have been released on bail until next month.

Speaking outside his home near Tower Bridge on the day of the raid, the North Somerset MP speculated that the burglary was probably an "opportunistic" crime.