Super sleuth cop catches burglar thanks to one-word clue

A police officer who hunted down a burglar using doorbell footage and a one-word clue has been hailed a hero as the thief was sentenced to three years in prison.

PC Max Kelly was called to the home of a vulnerable man who reported a burglary at his south London home.

The officer, who works in the territorial support group, reviewed doorbell footage which showed three men smashing through the victim’s door.

PC Kelly interviewed the victim, who was shaken up and finding it difficult to give a clear account of the vicious raid on his Lewisham home.

However, the officer patiently quizzed the victim who remembered one of the burglars shouted: ‘Come on Tyrone, let’s go’.

Refusing to let the lack of any other information become a dead end, the officer took the name Tyrone – relatively common across London – and began working through police records across Lewisham, identifying potential matches and painstakingly comparing their images with the footage captured by the doorbell.

His sleuthing led him to serial offender Tyrone Muir, whose image matched the man seen in the footage.

Muir, 47 was arrested and charged with the burglary thanks to the tireless detective work of PC Kelly.

The arrest was made after police raided his home but found it empty.

However, eagle-eyed Kelly spotted him on a bench 10 minutes from the house, despite the fact that he had changed his appearance completely.

Speaking after Muir was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday after admitting the charge in July, the officer said he was determined to hunt him down.

He said: ‘It took time to trawl through all the potential matches, but I was determined to explore every avenue. When I matched Muir’s face to the man in the footage, I knew we had our suspect. I couldn’t believe it when I spotted him on the bench and swiftly arrested him.’

Senior officers have heaped praise on PC Kelly for going the extra mile.

Chief Superintendent Chris Green, who leads the Pan London Taskforce, said: ‘This was a distressing case, involving a vulnerable individual who had been cruelly targeted in his own home and may have been further exploited by Muir.

‘PC Kelly’s actions demonstrate the best of policing and are representative of the standards of professionalism and commitment on the TSG. He refused to give up, identified a small but significant clue and worked hard to safeguard the victim. Criminals should be under no illusion we will pursue every lead to bring them to justice. That is what we are here to do.’