Police release CCTV of duo suspected of stealing gold artefacts from museum

Police have released CCTV video footage of two people suspected of stealing a Bronze Age golden torc and a gold bracelet from a museum.

Images show two people in hooded tops climbing through a window at Ely Museum in Cambridgeshire in the early hours of Tuesday.

Footage from a second camera shows two people rushing past, then returning in the opposite direction seconds later, one of them apparently carrying a rucksack.

Cambridgeshire Police said the museum was broken into between midnight and 2am on Tuesday and an item called the East Cambridgeshire gold torc was taken, along with a gold bracelet.

The force said both items date from the Bronze Age, and that it was seeking two people seen on e-scooters close to the museum.

Detective Inspector Kiri Mazur said: “We have released this CCTV, not in the hope someone will recognise the figures, but to try to jog memories and encourage anyone with information to come forward.

“We are focused on identifying the offenders, tracing the items, and returning them to their rightful place and are working closely with staff at Ely Museum to follow all lines of inquiry.

“I am very keen to hear from anyone who may be able to provide information or saw two people on e-scooters in the vicinity of the museum, car park and pedestrian walkways at the back of the museum, the council offices and the Grange Car Park, between 12am and 2am on Tuesday.”

Elie Hughes, curator at Ely Museum, said: “We are devastated by the loss to the museum and to the local heritage of the region.

“It is a huge blow after the incredible support from the community in acquiring the torc in 2017.

“As a culturally significant object, it cannot be replaced.

“Our priority now is working with the police to locate the stolen objects.”

Anyone who has any information is urged to contact police through their web chat service quoting Operation Lacunar, or call the force on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.