A man has been charged with burglary after a dramatic incident in the home of a London vcar.

Rev Simon Harvey of St Mary's, Islington, managed to take a photo of a man who was disturbed while in his house.

He later realised that jewellery belonging to his late wife – who died only three months ago – had gone missing.

James Casey, 39, of no fixed abode, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court and has been remanded in custody. He will next appear at Blackfriars Crown Court on June 27.

Harvey had been married to Jennifer for 29 years. Last week he described how the incident had left him deeply upset, but that even so, he was praying for the perpetrator – and for justice to be done.

The clergyman tweeted his thanks to police in Islington, saying, "Many thanks to ‪@metpoliceuk ‪@MPSIslington and an amazing public response, leading to a suspect being charged with last week's burglary."

The response to the incident has been large with thousands of retweets and local and national media reporting on the story of the quick-thinking vicar who took a photo of the man. Harvey's message of forgiveness and justice has also struck a chord.