HOME invaders have broken into the waterfront mansion of a Sydney millionaire twice within weeks - the second time holding his wife and son hostage before stealing large sums of cash and jewellery.

PHIL ROTHFIELD reports in the SYDNEY TELEGRAPH that the bandits may have made their getaway by boat after the raids, which have forced professional punter and tipster Rod Dufficy and his family into hiding on the Gold Coast.

After a break-and-enter in November, Mr Dufficy's $10 million Woolwich home was invaded in broad daylight a week before Christmas while his wife, Kitty, and their two children were at home.

A thief demanded Ms Dufficy hand over cash and disclose the safe combination, but she escaped and raised the alarm. Police dogs traced the thief's scent to the water's edge.

"There's a suggestion a couple of them wait in the street outside waterfronts in Hunters Hill for cars to leave," Mr Dufficy told The Sunday Telegraph. "They use their mobiles to contact mates waiting out the front in tinnies.

"They then raid the houses, whether people are home or not, and escape on water."

When police were alerted, a major operation involving a police helicopter and dog squad was launched.

Footage of the robberies was captured by closed-circuit television cameras and is being scrutinised by investigators.

Mr Dufficy, the brother of former jockey and tipster Ron Dufficy, has always shunned publicity and preferred to keep his wealth private over fears that he and his family would become a target for robbers.

Mr Dufficy left for Hong Kong with no money 15 years ago and returned a decade later as a multi-millionaire, having made his fortune from gambling and tipping services.

He bought the Hunters Hill property for almost $10 million and is now a professional punter and involved in the horse-breeding industry.

On the day of the December 17 raid, Mr Dufficy had just left home to visit the doctor when the thief gained entry. His wife, who could not remember the code to the safe, escaped with the children by car.

At least 22 other homes at Hunters Hill have been broken into in the past year.

"It's really knocked my young boy around," Mr Dufficy said. "He wouldn't sleep at home, so we've come up to the Gold Coast to get away."

Detectives are looking for a male suspect in his mid-20s, of medium build and Middle Eastern appearance.

Police have identified a number of persons of interest that may have perpetrated the robbery.

One of the main suspects includes a career criminal who was sentenced to several years jail in 2004 for a spate of similar robberies around Sydney.

The "break and enter merchant" was recently released from prison where he served time for a number of similar robbery convictions, carried out on wealthy addresses around the Lower North Shore and Rose Bay several years ago.

"There's nothing conclusive but it's their modus operandi," a police source said.

A spokesman for NSW Police Media denied there had been a spate of robberies and said there was no evidence to suggest the intruder had escaped by boat.

According to the Bureau of Crime Statistics, at least 22 homes in the Hunters Hill Local Government area were robbed last year.

STORY SOURCE: SYDNEY SUNDAY TELEGRAPH – NEWS LIMITED.