A gold locket of a medical doctor who died in the Crimean war, Rolex watch, engagement rings, pendants and necklaces are among the stolen items gardaí want to reunite with their owners.
The items were recovered during raids which began in February on a house in Tallaght, south Dublin, by the burglary response unit. No criminal charges have been brought in connection with the raids as yet.
To date there are no records of anybody having come forward to gardaí to report items stolen similar to these.
Gardaí say most of the 144 items they have displayed are of more sentimental than monetary value.
However, the diamonds alone are worth €55,000 and many of them, it is suspected, have been prised from engagement rings. Patek Phillipe, Rolex and Tag Heuer are among the well-known brands of watches on display. There are 41 in total, worth €37,000. One belonged to a member of the United States Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron, one of the most famous aerobatic teams in the world.
The total value of the haul is estimated at €165,000.
The locket memorialises assistant surgeon Alexander Johnston of the 68th Durham Light Infantry who died in Portsmouth on June 25th, 1856, on his way back from the Crimean War. He was 28 years and eight months old, according to the inscription on the back.
Insp Jason Wiley of Crumlin Garda station is hopeful those who come forward can prove ownership by photograph, receipt or inscription.
“The sentimental value of many of these items is huge. If we can get it back to the public, that is everything for us . . . we think it could be a challenge but we think it is worthy of our efforts to reunite the property with the owners . . . There is a huge onus on us to prove the lawful owner, but once we achieve that we are happy to return the property.”
The time or location of these burglaries remain a mystery at present. They could have been stolen in Dublin or in raids on rural houses.
Insp Wiley stressed though that it may not be possible to return the items if criminal proceedings are initiated.
“A lot of people are more savvy now. They may have photographs of the property, they might have a serial number or description. All we can do is try.”
The items can be viewed here.
