An offender who jumped out of a second floor window in Tonbridge to try evading arrest, was no match for officers who caught him after a dramatic pursuit.
On the morning of Thursday 8 January 2026, officers from the Community Safety Unit were tasked with going to an address in the town to arrest Bobby Thorpe for a series of offences.
He refused to let officers into the property, and whilst attempts were made to force entry, a loud crash was heard from outside.
Officers were quick to react and ran to the side of the building, in clear disbelief that the suspect had jumped out of a second-floor window in a bid to escape. However, the broken tiles on a neighbouring garage were confirmation.
PC Ben Cooper sprang into action, jumping over a fence, and started to hunt for the suspect. Despite Thorpe having a head start, the officer was aided by members of the public along the way, who shouted out the direction the 33 year old had taken.
Once he got onto the main road, the eagle-eyed PC spotted Thorpe ahead and witnessed him gaining access to a random garden.
Shortly after, PC Cooper jumped onto a gate where he spotted the suspect hiding in a corner. Thorpe was arrested, less than 80 seconds after jumping out of the window.
Chief Inspector Mark Stubberfield said:
‘Everyday, police officers go above and beyond to try and catch offenders and keep the public safe.
‘In this incident, they were quick to suspect what had happened, despite their initial disbelief, and were able to act quickly and arrest Thorpe in just over a minute.
‘Our officers are dedicated to catching criminals. In January alone, we had a 73.9% solve rate for shoplifting offences in Tonbridge and Malling, which shows how committed we are to tackling crimes that affect the community.
‘This arrest is another example of the lengths officers will go to in order to achieve that, and I am incredibly proud of them all.’
Bobby Thorpe, of Royal West Kent Avenue in Tonbridge, was sentenced to 36 weeks’ imprisonment for a variety of offences, including theft, handling stolen goods and fraud.
