Niall Horan was said to have been left shocked and shaken after an intruder was caught wandering through his £5million penthouse apartment, MailOnline can reveal.
The One Direction star’s personal assistant confronted the man in the foyer outside his luxury South London pad in July last year.
The suspect is understood to have followed another resident into the apartment block and then entered Niall’s home through French doors after jumping onto his balcony from a neighbouring property.
Niall was away at the time of the incident and nothing is thought to have been stolen during the first incident.
Niall Horan was said to have been left shocked and shaken after an intruder wandered through his penthouse apartment in south London pad in July last year
The former One Direction singer’s personal assistant confronted the man in the foyer
The personal assistant kept him talking and called security, who called police. The man was considered to be incoherent and on drugs and so he was released.
However he returned to the apartment complex the following day and was intercepted by security before being arrested again.
The 29-year-old pleaded not guilty to two charges of burglary with intent at Kingston Crown Court last December but was remanded in custody.
He will now stand trial on July 5.
A source told MailOnline: ‘The intruder is believed to have tailgated another resident – following them into the building – and then entered the apartment next door to Niall’s.
‘He came out onto that property’s balcony, jumped over the wall onto Niall’s balcony and then entered into his apartment through the French doors.
‘Niall wasn’t at home at the time but one of his assistants was and saw the man walk through the apartment to the foyer outside.
‘She managed to keep the intruder talking until security were called.
The police arrived soon afterwards and the man was arrested but later released.
‘He returned to the apartment building the following day but he’d been caught on CCTV and his picture had been circulated around staff working in the apartment building.
The suspect is understood to have followed another resident into the apartment block and then entered the star’s home through French doors after jumping onto his balcony
The Irish singer, who divides his time between London and Los Angeles, bought the three-bedroom penthouse apartment in 2017
‘The security noticed him on the cameras and picked him up pretty promptly and he was arrested for a second time.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘The suspect was charged by postal requisition on 7 August, 2020 for burglary with intent to steal.
‘He will appear at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, 5 July.’
Niall, who divides his time between London and Los Angeles has been asked not to comment on the matter by police as it is an ‘ongoing criminal case’.
The Irish singer bought the three-bedroom penthouse apartment in 2017 and gave fans a virtual tour while self- isolating during the start of the Coronavirus lockdown last March.
He Facetimed Capital FM DJ Sonny Jay and showed off his dining and living room complete with piano, which he called his ‘Hit Machine’, huge U-shaped sofa and sleek black dining table.
He also posts numerous Instagram videos of him playing music and singing from his apartment including on the same balcony the intruder is said to have entered his property from.
Niall’s One Direction band-mates Harry Styles, 27, and Louis Tomlinson, 29, have previously ramped up security in their homes to thwart unwanted intruders.
In 2019 a homeless man was arrested after camping outside Harry’s London residence and posting notes through his letter box, leaving the boyband star feeling ‘scared’ and ‘uncomfortable’.
Pablo Taeazaga-Orero, 26, was subsequently banned from going within 250m of the singer after he was convicted of stalking him.
His band-mate Louis revealed his property in LA was ‘robbed’ in the same year, saying intruders were caught on his security cameras but didn’t ‘take anything sentimental’.
MailOnline revealed in July that Niall was in a new relationship with designer shoe buyer Amelia Woolley, 23, and getting to know each other in lockdown had intensified their feelings.
The pair were pictured together for the first time in August, where they looked happy and in love after enjoying a romantic meal out together.
Amelia was Niall’s first serious girlfriend following his split from actress Hailee Steinfeld, 23, after the former couple went their separate ways in 2018.
Niall recently discussed his ‘struggles’ after finding fame with One Direction on The X Factor in 2010 (pictured left to right: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik)
He also had a fling with singer Selena Gomez, 28, back in 2015, but confirmed in an interview the pair were only friends after they were pictured together in 2019.
The singer recently discussed his ‘struggles’ after finding fame with One Direction on The X Factor in 2010, while talking to the show’s host Dermot O’Leary, 47, for his podcast.
Asked whether he ever felt like a ‘prisoner’, Niall said: ‘A couple of times, yeah, because we were 17, 18, 19 for the first few years, and I struggled with it.
‘As you know, I have to be doing something all the time and the thought of just closing the curtain in my hotel room was just madness to me.
‘I really struggled with the idea, ‘Why won’t you just let us out? We just want to go for a walk!’ But you can’t get inside the brain of a fan.’
He added: ‘Now I completely get it, but at the time we were like, ‘You’re our age, will you just let us out so we can walk down the street! You must understand!”
Niall rose to global fame alongside former band mates Harry, Louis, Zayn Malik, 28 and Liam Payne, 27 after the boy band reached third place on The X Factor – losing out on the top spot to Matt Cardle, 37.
The group announced they were going on ‘hiatus’ in 2015, five months after Zayn quit – and while it has been rumoured for years, 1D are yet to confirm plans to reunite.