FIGHT CRIME WITHOUT REVEALING YOUR IDENTITY
Crimestoppers Trust is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No. 5382856. Registered Charity No. 1108687 (England) and SC037960 (Scotland). Registered Office: Apollo House, 66A London Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5BE
War medal burglary victim offers £1,000 of own money for information
Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is backing a Hertfordshire man who is dipping into his own pocket to offer a reward of up to £1,000 for information after his home was burgled.The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, had his home in Sweyns Mead, Chells Manor, ransacked on Sunday 7 August some time between 2am and 2.15am. In addition to over 200 family war medals a TV, IPAD2, Blackberrys, a laptop and cash were stolen.Now the independent charity, which allows people to give information anonymously, has stepped in to help catch the person or persons responsible.
Ann Scott, Eastern Regional Manager for Crimestoppers, said: “I urge anyone who has information, however small, to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the online form. They have nothing to fear by contacting Crimestoppers as calls/IP addresses are not traced, calls are not recorded, you won’t have to make a statement to the Police or go to court. We only want to know what you know, not who you are. In the 23 years that we have been running we have never broken our promise of anonymity”.
Police have made three arrests over this incident and one person was subsequently charged with burglary. It is strongly believed that one other person was involved in the burglary and Crimestoppers are appealing for information. They want to know if anyone saw anything suspicious in the area at the time or knows who was involved. They also want to know if anyone has been offered war medals for sale since or know where they are. Details of stolen medals are available here
The victim said: “Being burgled does not just rob you of your personal possessions, but it robs you of feeling safe in your own home. I’m offering this reward because I am desperate that those responsible are found and justice can be done.”
“In addition to the financial and sentimental value, the emotional effect this has had on me is far greater. I began collecting medals about thirty years ago with my grandfather. It is not just the medals but also the history that I am interested in. The medals are irreplaceable. For example, one of the medals stolen was awarded to a J Harcourt of the 18th Hussars who fought at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and I still have his letters”.He continued with “Some of the medals stolen were awarded to family members. One of my grandfathers died in November 2010, aged 91, and his medals meant a lot to me. I don’t have lots of photographs and the link to him and his medals were something that was a real connection to him. I have not been able to tell my Gran that her husband’s medals have been stolen because I fear the effect that it will have on her”.
“In addition to the financial and sentimental value, the emotional effect this has had on me is far greater. I began collecting medals about thirty years ago with my grandfather. It is not just the medals but also the history that I am interested in. The medals are irreplaceable. For example, one of the medals stolen was awarded to a J Harcourt of the 18th Hussars who fought at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and I still have his letters”.He continued with “Some of the medals stolen were awarded to family members. One of my grandfathers died in November 2010, aged 91, and his medals meant a lot to me. I don’t have lots of photographs and the link to him and his medals were something that was a real connection to him. I have not been able to tell my Gran that her husband’s medals have been stolen because I fear the effect that it will have on her”.
The reward of £1,000 will only be offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the second individual responsible for this burglary.