Man who sold stolen medals avoids prison

The collection included one from the Battle of Balaclava involving the Charge of the Light Brigade, an 1882 medal from Egypt, a Queen’s South African medal and six Second World War medals.

Burglars raided a house in Gleadless, Sheffield, and took dozens of medals, valued at between £11,000 and £17,000, which belonged to Keith Whitehead, Sheffield Crown Court was told.

They came from his father and the Balaclava medal was potentially worth £10,000 on its own.

Just before the break-in, 23-year-old Nathan Roberts went to The Chapel Jewellers in Heeley and asked the owner if they dealt in war medals, said David Wain, prosecuting.

Mr Whitehead and his wife Linda returned on March 1 this year to find the rear patio door of their home had been smashed. They found burglars had taken electrical items, jewellery and the war medals.

The next day Roberts went to The Chapel Jewellers and sold them two medals, for which he was given £400 each.

He returned with more medals on March 5 and haggled over the price, receiving £1,250. He sold more medals to them every few days and in all received £8,990.

The medals were then sold on by the jewellers to another jewellers for £16,000, said Mr Wain.

Roberts, of Eastern Avenue, Arbourthorne, admitted handling stolen goods.

Nawaz Hussain, defending, said he was short of money when he “stupidly took up an offer too good to turn down”.

Recorder Margia Mostafa told Roberts: “You say you needed money for food. The reality is you needed this money to live a better lifestyle.” Roberts was given a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, and told to pay compensation to The Chapel Jewellers.