Five people have been arrested in connection with a burglary at Durham University’s Oriental Museum on 5th April.
The burglars, who fled with an 18th Century Jade Bowl and a Dehua porcelain figurine, spent 40 minutes making a 2 feet by 3 feet hole in the wall of the museum. They were in the building for less than two minutes before escaping with the prize possessions.
The items were taken from the museum’s Malcolm MacDonald Gallery, and police believe they were stolen to order. Senior Investigating Officer, Det Supt Adrian Green said that the criminals made straight for the Qing Dynasty pieces. He added it was likely that the burglary had been planned for some time and that the items were stolen to order for someone who had already identified a potential market. The whereabouts of the stolen items are currently unknown.
Durham Police are making on-going enquiries with several other forces, including West Midlands Police. Det Supt Green said the police were especially interested in two cars, a light blue Audi A3 and an orange Renault Megane which were seen in the Durham area over 4th and 5th April. It is thought that either of these vehicles may have been seen in the Brandon or Meadowfield areas in the days leading up to the robbery. Police also want to hear from anyone seeing suspicious activity in those areas over the same period.
Curator Dr Craig Barclay said:
“We are extremely upset to have fallen victim to such a serious crime. The two pieces are highly significant in that they are fine examples of artefacts from the Qing Dynasty in the mediums of porcelain and hard stone. We very much hope that police will be able to recover them and we urge anybody who may have any information about their whereabouts to contact the police immediately.”
Five people from the Black Country have been arrested. One man is still being interrogated by police, the other four people have been bailed until June. It appears that further arrests are likely.
You may be pleased to know that artefacts were recently recovered and the Museum has been reopened.
