Thieves 'cut hole in Harrogate antiques shop roof' and snatch £100,000 of items

Hundreds of objects were taken, including a number of highly-distinctive bespoke pieces, at 27 West Park on Tuesday, February 13.

Officers believe the thieves cut a hole in the roof of the building and climbed through it at around 9.50pm.

They broke into a number of cabinets, probably using a jemmy, and emptied them.

Due to the quantity of items taken from a number of different antique and jewellery dealers, police are still in the process of itemising the thefts as part of their ongoing investigation.

However, stolen items include rings, bracelets, earrings, silver, gold and bespoke necklaces, antique pocket watches and high-value designer watches.

Initial estimates put the value of the stolen stock at more than £100,000.

Police have today released images of some of the more distinctive pieces in the hope they will be recognised by members of the public.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “While the face of the person captured on CCTV is covered, we’re hoping that members of the public who were in the area at the time may remember seeing someone wearing similar items of clothing – a quilted jacket, possibly light in colour, jeans with a long belt, sporty trainers and a small Nike rucksack.

“We also believe there were quite a few members of the public in and around Roberts Street, which is to the rear of the Maplin store, and the surrounding streets and ginnels around the time of the break-in. "If you were in this area at around 9.50pm on Tuesday and saw a person or group of people acting suspiciously, please let us know – the information may seem trivial to you but it may be important to our investigation.”

Stolen items include an 18-carat gold ring featuring ruby, diamonds and sapphire; a silver Maurice Lacroix wrist watch; adistinctive tiered silver necklace with gemstone setting; and a number of silver and gem-based items of jewellery, including bespoke hand pieces worn across the palm with a highly-distinctive leaf effect on the knuckles.

Officers have released CCTV images of a person they want to trace as part of their investigation, which has also seen police carry out forensic tests at the scene and extensive enquiries around the area.

Anyone who has any information is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option twp and ask for Amanda Hanusch-Moore.

People can also email PC Moore on [email protected] or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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