HE WAS the modest hero.

“I think most people in similar circumstances would have done the same.”

Southampton University student Tim Sheldrake, who was studying for a degree in accountancy and economics, had bravely brought a thief to justice.

He had spotted a stranger tampering with cars parked outside the Halls of Residence in Glen Eyre Road, in the early hours.

Waking up a friend to call the police, he slipped outside his room and confronted the man who ran off, but caught him after a brief chase.

The man later appeared at Dorchester Crown Court where he admitted theft and four charges of taking vehicles without consent. He asked for a further eight similar matters to be considered.

After sentencing him, Judge David Pennant not only praised Mr Sheldrake for his actions but also recommended that he should receive a £50 reward for “the valuable public service he had rendered.”

So in Bournemouth in March, 1979, Mr Sheldrake received a cheque and a certificate commemorating his achievement from the High Sheriff of Dorset, Major Graham Yeatman.

Chief Superintendent Ken Arthurs, of Dorset Police Eastern Division, thanked Mr Sheldrake on behalf of the force and Hampshire Police.