Colin Sutton

Colin David McLean Sutton is a British former Metropolitan Police detective who came to public prominence by leading the investigations on several high-profile cases such as serial killer Levi Bellfield and rapist Delroy Grant who were both subsequently convicted of their crimes and are currently serving life sentences.

He worked on several high profile and difficult cases during the course of his 30-year career. These included, most famously, the case of Levi Bellfield who was initially convicted of the murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. Whilst serving life for these crimes, Bellfield was also tried and convicted of the murder of Milly Dowler. He received a Commendation for ‘exceptional leadership, detective ability, perseverance and dedication to duty’ following the successful investigation and conviction in this case.

Following his retirement from the police force in 2011, he began to write about his experiences. His first book, Manhunt, was released in 2019 to much critical-acclaim and it went on to be the inspiration behind the TV series of the same name for which he served as a writer and was played by Martin Clunes. The first series focused on the Levi Bellfield case and the second, which was nominated for a Best Drama Series BAFTA TV Award, focused on the search for Delroy Grant.