Inquest into Pc's death adjourned

Pc Andrew James was said to have had "tremendous potential"

An inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of a police officer, hit by a car while chasing a suspected burglar.

Pc Andrew James, 38, from Caerphilly, south Wales, died after he responded to a burglar alarm at the Welsh College of Music and Drama on Cardiff's North Road on Saturday evening.

Mr James - married with a five-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old stepdaughter - had left his car to chase a suspected burglar on foot.

He had driven to the college campus where he spotted a young man in a baseball cap turn and run away.

But as he pursued him, he was struck by a Volkswagen Golf as it went through a green light on North Road - one of the main thoroughfares in and out of the city centre.

The officer was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff but died four hours later.

At the hearing on Wednesday, the court heard that his body was formally identified by his wife in the early hours of Sunday.

Cardiff Coroner Dr Lawrence Addicott told the said that a post-mortem had been carried out on Mr James' body and it was found he died of blunt injury to the trunk with multiple fractures.

His body has been released for a funeral to take place.

Investigations into the burglary are continuing.

After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Geoff Cooper of South Wales Police said the net was closing in on the person who Mr James was chasing when he was killed.

He said: "We feel it's only a matter of time before we end up speaking to the individual."

He added that the man would be treated "fairly and professionally" if he got in contact with the police.

In a statement, the family of Pc James, who was from Caerphilly, said: "Andrew was a loving son, a loyal husband and a devoted father.

"He was a dedicated police officer who was well respected by all who knew him.

"His passing will leave a void in our hearts."