Man arrested after ‘priceless’ haul of antique silver stolen from Nottinghamshire museum during heist

A man has been arrested by police on suspicion of burglary after a haul of antique silver worth tens of thousands of pounds was stolen from a museum in a daring heist. Brazen thieves drilled a hole through an archway and sawed through a floor to steal “priceless” antiques from the military museum in Newark, Notts.

The audacious raid took place at the Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum at Thoresby Park in the early hours of October 29. The items taken included a distinctive parcel and gilt rosewater dish - said to be the sister piece to the famous Wimbledon women’s singles trophy.

Other items pinched from display cases were the Hurlingham Grand Military Polo trophy, statuettes of mounted soldiers and a cavalry trumpet. Nottinghamshire Police said a 36-year-old man was arrested after officers raided a property in Kiveton Park, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on December 12.

Detectives still want to hear from anyone with any information which could help with the investigation. The force previously released footage showing how the gang had made their way into the museum by sawing a hole through the floor between 2.40am and 3.30am.

It was discovered after moving the cabinet the robbers drilled up through the ceiling and burrowed through several layers of wood to gain access to the silver cabinet. Detective Constable India Woodrow said: “This arrest is an important step in our investigation but our inquiries are very much ongoing into this brazen theft and audacious assault on our local heritage.

“It is still really important that anyone with any information about the break-in gets in touch with us as a matter of urgency. If you have seen anything suspicious or heard about someone trying to sell items like this please get in touch with us.

“You may think the information you have is irrelevant but it could be a missing piece of the jigsaw in our investigation. This break-in was extremely well planned but we have developed a number of important lines of inquiry and are determined to catch those responsible. The items stolen hold huge sentimental value both to the museum and the wider community.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 273 of Sunday 29 October 2023, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.