Police release CCTV footage of museum torc theft

Mousumi Bakshi - BBC Look East and Harriet Heywood - BBC News, Cambridgeshire
·3 min read

Police have released CCTV footage of two people after gold objects dating back 3,000 years were stolen from a museum.

The Bronze Age jewellery - a gold torc and a gold bracelet - were stolen during a break-in at Ely Museum, Cambridgeshire, on Tuesday.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, curator Elie Hughes said the loss felt "like grief" as part of their local heritage was taken.

Both items were initially found in East Cambridgeshire and the torc was acquired for the museum through grants and donations.

Black and white CCTV of two men running through a museum
Police hope the footage will "jog memories" of people with information [Cambridgeshire Police]
Bronze Age torc found in Cambridgeshire being held by a person wearing white gloves
The torc is larger than usual examples and is made of 730g (1lb 10oz) of almost pure gold [Trustees of the British Museum]

Cambridgeshire Police said the museum was broken into between 00:00 and 02:00 BST.

In footage released by the force, two people can be seen entering the building through a window and then quickly moving past a security camera in the venue.

Det Insp 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.

“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."

Jane Greaves
Jane Greaves said the loss of the items felt personal [Mousumi Bakshi/BBC]

Jane Greaves, chair of trustees for Ely Museum, said the break-in alert was a "call you never want to get".

"This is where the object was from, it belongs here and it belongs to the people of Ely," Ms Greaves said.

"It is hugely devastating that it has been stolen and taken from the people in this way.

"It feels personal.. the people who stole this wanted it and went to lengths to take it.

"We live and hope, that's all we can do."

Both items were found in East Cambridgeshire by metal detectorists.

The torc, found in a ploughed field, is regarded as the best found in England in more than a century, as it is larger than many other examples and made of 730g (1lb 10oz) of almost pure gold.

'Grief'

Curator Elie Hughes said the torc was unusual because it was so big that it could generously fit around a person's shoulders.

"What made it special was that no one knew what it was used for," Ms Hughes told the BBC.

"It's made from twisted gold, shaped a bit like fusilli pasta."

She added that the loss had not only been felt by the museum, but by the people of Ely.

"Not seeing it there feels horrible to be honest, it feels like grief.

"It is like someone is missing.. things aren't right.

A gold bracelet
Both items are made from gold and do not tarnish, despite being more than 3,000 years old [Cambridgeshire County Council ]

It was important for the torc to be on display in Ely, where it was first found, Ms Hughes added.

"We worked hard to make that happen and people put their hands in their pocket to donate to acquire it and keep it local," she said.

"Thousands of local people could come in and see an object that was part of their local heritage and landscape.

"What stands out is that everyone is with us feeling the loss.. we are not alone in our anger and devastation."

They hoped to reopen the museum soon but without the two gold items.

Ely Museum
Police said they were working closely with staff at Ely Museum to follow all lines of inquiry [Steve Hubbard/BBC]

Follow Cambridgeshire news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830

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