Detectives investigating a burglary at pop mogul Simon Cowell's London mansion have released CCTV footage of a man they are looking for in connection with the raid. The X Factor judge was asleep inside his Holland Park home with wife Lauren Silverman and their 21-month-old son when a burglar broke into their property in the early hours of 4 December.

Jewellery worth a reported £500,000 was taken, which saw the suspect flee after he was challenged by a security guard on patrol in the west London neighbourhood. A number of items were recovered by police close to the scene, which were believed to have been dropped by the suspect as he made off on foot.

Cowell burglary
Police would like to speak to this man in relation to the burglary

Police say they want to speak to a man caught on CCTV in connection with the burglary. He is shown to be running down a street carrying what appears to be a large holdall. The man is described as slim, approximately 5ft 10in, wearing a dark jacket, dark trousers and a red woolly hat.

Meanwhile, a 37-year-old man, not featured on the CCTV footage, has already been arrested in connection with the incident and bailed to a date in early January pending further enquiries.

Cowell said he and his family had been left "shaken" by the incident. "The most frightening thing is someone has been in your house. It's not what they steal, it's that's someone can break into your house. It's nerve-racking," he told The Sun.

Detective chief inspector Will Young said: "This is an ongoing investigation involving a number of lines of enquiry and we are actively following all leads in an effort to identify the suspect concerned. A man has already been arrested in connection with this incident and is currently on police bail.

"The occupants were unharmed during the incident but understandably are shaken by what happened and are keen to recover all of the items that were stolen which are of sentimental value."

Anyone who knows who the man in the footage is or who has information about the incident should call Kensington and Chelsea CID on 020 8246 0137 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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