Suspect arrested after ‘priceless’ silver stolen from museum

Detectives investigating an audacious break-in at a Nottinghamshire museum have arrested a suspect.

A large haul of ‘priceless’ antique silver was stolen from a display case at the Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum in Thoresby Park during the early hours of Sunday 29 October 2023.

On Monday (11 December) officers carried out a raid at a property in Kiveton Park, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of burglary.

Detectives still want to hear from anyone with any information which could help with their ongoing investigation.

Museum staff discovered the thieves had drilled upwards through the flooring and burrowed through several layers of wood to gain access to the silver cabinet, at some point between 2.40am and 3.30am.

Items taken include a distinctive parcel and gilt rosewater dish - said to be the sister piece to the Wimbledon women’s singles trophy.

Other items include the Hurlingham Grand Military Polo trophy, statuettes of mounted soldiers and a cavalry trumpet.

Detective Constable India Woodrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This arrest is an important step in our investigation but our inquiries are very much ongoing into this brazen theft and audacious assault on our local heritage.

“It is still really important that anyone with any information about the break-in gets in touch with us as a matter of urgency.

“If you have seen anything suspicious or heard about someone trying to sell items like this please get in touch with us.

“You may think the information you have is irrelevant but it could be a missing piece of the jigsaw in our investigation.

“This break-in was extremely well planned but we have developed a number of important lines of inquiry and are determined to catch those responsible.

“The items stolen hold huge sentimental value both to the museum and the wider community.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 273 of Sunday 29 October 2023, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.