Going for gold
A burglary victim fears thieves could be targeting gold because of the ease in which they can sell it for money thanks to the growth in cash-for-gold
companies.
Between £3,500 and £4,000- worth of items were stolen from Memory Lane antiques shop on Queen Street, Southwell, on Monday.
The owner, Mr Terry Brown, fears they will be sent away and melted down.
Mr Brown said gold could be sent to companies anonymously, making it easier for thieves to sell stolen items.
Memory Lane was burgled at about 1am.
Nearby residents alerted the police after they saw a man standing in the shop doorway holding a hammer.
Mr Brown, of Oxton, said despite the quick police response, the man had time to break a glass pane and steal jewellery in the window.
He said: “It was literally a smash and grab.
“Everyone who has been into the shop has taken it for granted that it has just been done by a drunken idiot.”
However, Mr Brown fears the stolen jewellery would be sold anonymously to a cash-for-gold company.
He said: “All he would have to do is seal it in an envelope and send it to them because it’s not as if there are any serial numbers on them, so they cannot be traced.
“For me, it is just too easy to sell somebody else’s gold for cash.”
Mr Brown said many other items were badly damaged or destroyed when the thief knocked them to the floor.
He said he may not be reimbursed for some of the items by his insurance company because he did not have receipts for all the jewellery.
Mr Brown, a former groundsman, moved from Nottingham because he wanted to get away from crime.
He said: “We wanted to open an old-fashioned shop offering old-fashioned service and Southwell seemed the ideal place to do that.
“The people of Southwell themselves have been fantastic. We have had a lot of people coming in saying we shouldn’t let this get us down.”
Mr Brown said his wife, Mrs Julia Brown, had been particularly upset.
He said: “She said we have been working 80-hour weeks, and how long has this man had to work to make £4,000?”
Anyone with information should contact the police on 0300 3009999 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
