A Portuguese-born security guard has been hailed a hero after recovering over €500,000 worth of gems and loot stolen from the luxury London home of X-Factor boss Simon Cowell.
M’Batonha Mendes told the UK Sunday Mirror that his “adrenaline just kicked in”, adding: “Fear is my friend”.
But Mendes does not appear to have had to do a great deal with his adrenaline.
He spied what police now believe to be an accomplished local cat burglar “after finding Cowell’s passport on the pavement and seeing a shadowy figure run off into the night”.
On catching up with the man, the 34-year-old guard put his hand on his shoulder and said “Wait a second”.
The man “jumped and then dropped the bag and ran”, Mendes told the Mirror.
Inside, lay a haul that had been snatched during a half-hour raid on the TV personality’s home while he, his wife and young son had been lying asleep, completely unaware that an intruder was in the house.
With the story still running in UK, it appears Cowell’s personal bodyguard – described as using the toilet during the raid – may now be in for the high-jump. But Mendes’ immediate future is sealed. He is due to get a “big Christmas present” from Cowell, affirms the Mirror, who has been in touch with Mendes’ boss requesting a meeting with the hero guard.
And the father of one says he is delighted, particularly as his daughter Sara is a “huge X-Factor fan”.
