Officer turns single-name clue into burglary conviction after vulnerable man targeted at home

A Met officer’s perseverance and attention to detail helped to identify and convict a burglar after he targeted a man at his home in Lewisham.

PC Max Kelly was among officers from the Met’s Territorial Support Group called to Lee High Road on Thursday, 16 July following reports of a burglary in progress.

Officers quickly reviewed the victim’s ring doorbell footage, which showed three men smashing through the front door and forcing their way into his home before fleeing the scene.

PC Kelly spent considerable time communicating with the distressed victim, who struggled to give officers much information about his attackers. He did however recall hearing one of the men shout, “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” and began working through police records across Lewisham, identifying potential matches and painstakingly comparing their images with the footage captured by the doorbell.

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

An address was obtained and officers set off to arrest him. Around ten minutes from the address, PC Kelly spotted a man sitting on a bench. Despite having disguised himself and completely changed his clothing since the burglary earlier that day, PC Kelly immediately recognised Muir and arrested him on suspicion of burglary.

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.”

PC Max Kelly 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.”

Tyrone Muir, 47 (08.08.1979) of Micheldever Road, Lewisham was sentenced to 3 years and two months in prison for burglary at a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, 19 October.

He pleaded guilty to the above offence on Friday, 17 July at the same court. He was charged and arrested the previous day.