Witness Appeal: Thousands of pounds worth of rare jewellery stolen from a house in Ainsdale

by
23rd March 2015
Photo: Jewellery

Merseyside Police is appealing for the public’s help after dozens of rare items of jewellery were stolen from a house in Ainsdale.

At around 9.30am on Tuesday, 10 March, a retired couple returned to their home in Liverpool Avenue, Ainsdale to discover an untidy search had been made in rooms upstairs. They later discovered dozens of unique items of jewellery had been taken.

Officers attended the scene and forensic examinations were carried out. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is continuing.

The collection of 55 items of jewellery included engagement rings given to the victim’s great-grandmother and grandmother, a locket given to her grandmother by her husband on their wedding day and a brooch received by the victim from her parents on her 21st birthday. There was also a brooch given to the victim by her grandfather in the last year of his life.

A 1960s solid silver Georg Jensen brooch featuring two birds within a 3.5cm square was also taken.

Detective Inspector Mike Dalton, from Sefton CID, said: “This collection of jewellery is of huge sentimental value to the victims. It includes extremely rare and distinctive items that would be almost impossible to replace.

“I’d like to appeal to the consciences of the offenders and ask them to put themselves in the victims’ position and think how they’d feel if this happened to them. I would ask them to do the right thing and find a way to get the stolen items back to their rightful owner.

He added: “We would appeal to anyone who might have witnessed anyone acting suspiciously on or around Liverpool Avenue in Ainsdale between 8.40-9.30am on Tuesday, 10 March to contact us.

“I’d also ask members of the public to be on the lookout in case they are or have been offered any of these items as a gift or for sale either on the street, in pawnbrokers or in pubs or have seen the items for sale on the internet.”

The victim said: “My feelings have evolved from initial numbness and shock to a sense of loss and almost bereavement.

“Obviously there is a monetary value to the items stolen, but for me it is the loss of family history that was represented by those items that most grieves me. I had so much wanted to pass them on to younger generations and for that reason had photographed and catalogued each item with notes on everything I knew about its origins. That loss cannot be quantified and will remain with me for the rest of my life.”

Anyone who has any information is asked to call Sefton CID on 0151 777 3833 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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