Mr Neves told culprit: “I will find you one day”

A BUSINESS owner who turned into a do-it-yourself detective when police refused to investigate a theft from his shop has said he has got justice after cracking the case himself.

Deicola Neves, who owns Camden Guitars, said he was “let down many times” by police after the theft of a £6,000 microphone but has now seen the culprit convicted in court after taking vigilante action.

His extraordinary intervention came as Scotland Yard announced police will no longer investigate a raft of crimes considered lower level. After being turned away by police when he reported the theft from his Chalk Farm Road shop, Mr Neves took matters into his own hands.

He collected evidence, including CCTV and computer browsing history, to show that a musician who had booked into the store’s studio made off with the recording equipment in March last year.

He went online to track down 28-year-old Lionnel Essengue, who had stolen the microphone, and discovered that he was due to perform at a venue in Camden Town.

Mr Neves handed this information to the investigating officer, but says he was told they could not arrest or interview Mr Essengue.

On the night of the gig, he eventually flagged down two passing police officers and dragged them to the venue to make an arrest. “I told the police where he would be performing, but they didn’t turn up,” he said.

“So I ran to the High Street and found two police officers walking past the bridge and explained the situation. “I said this was the crime reference number. I showed them photos. I said the guy was just round the corner and I want you to go and arrest him.

“Eventually they came with me. They questioned him and then they arrested him.”

He said he had provided police with “all the different names he went by, his address, where he was performing,” adding: “All this time I have been doing my research, my detective work.”

Mr Neves, whose second store was hit by a fire in Camden Market last year, said: “I did crazy stuff to find out who the guy was. When I knew he had taken something from me, to betray a small business, a family business, it was painful.

“I sent him a message saying: ‘Please give me the stuff back and we can forget about it.’ But he didn’t. Eventually, I said to him: ‘I will find you one day’.”

Mr Essengue appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court, charged with theft, in October. He pleaded not guilty, but was convicted following a trial at the same court at the end of last month. He was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,500 in compensation.

Speaking after the conviction, Mr Neves said: “It’s a relief, to just get a little bit of justice. I’m not happy with the police at all. They let me down many times and wanted to close the case.”

The Met’s new “crime assessment process”, first revealed in October, tells officers which crimes should not be investigated.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the policy allows police to have “an early and realistic conversation with victims”, adding: “It’s not by any stretch of the imagination police throwing up the white flag. It’s a continuation of the triaging that’s always taken place by the police service.”

Senior officers say the policy formalises a long-standing practice of concentrating resources on more serious offences, allowing greater honesty and transparency. But critics fear it will lead to an increase in crime.

The Met said in a statement that officers had carried out “extensive enquires” in to the Camden Guitars theft and were able to identify a named suspect.

It said: “Officers visited the man’s last known address on several occasions but were unable to locate him. His details were circulated as wanted across the Met and enquiries to trace him continued but were unsuccessful.”

He was arrested on September 29 and charged on October 11.

A police spokeswoman said: “We would like to apologise to the victim if he feels that he was not kept informed of the progress of the investigation and would welcome the opportunity to speak with him.”