Can you help reunite these medals with their true owner? Detective launches search as part of theft probe

The search is on to reunite a collection of medals with their rightful owner after they were found by detectives as part of an inquiry.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Durham Constabulary is appealing for help as part of an ongoing investigation and hopes to find the owner – or owners – of these items.

They were found in a car parked in East Moor Road in Murton back on Saturday, December 28, last year and it is suspected they are stolen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Since then, officers from Peterlee CID have been searching for information which could lead them to who they really belong to, checking with other forces and information about stolen goods in the hope of matching them up with an earlier incident.

Durham Constabulary has issued these images in the hope of finding out if the medals are stolen. They were found inside a car in East Moor Lane last December - image copyright Google Maps.Durham Constabulary has issued these images in the hope of finding out if the medals are stolen. They were found inside a car in East Moor Lane last December - image copyright Google Maps.
Durham Constabulary has issued these images in the hope of finding out if the medals are stolen. They were found inside a car in East Moor Lane last December - image copyright Google Maps.
Read More
Arson investigation launched after double car fire in Sunderland street

Now it is hoped a public appeal can help solve the mystery, with photos released of the pieces with the aim of sparking someone’s memory, with officers ensuring they are kept safe ready for when they are finally claimed.

The medals are both British and German and include a West Wall Medal, a decoration of Nazi Germany, which was issued in August 1939 for those who designed and built the fornications on its western borders.

A photo shared by Durham Constabulary as its officers appeal for help in finding out where the British and German medals have come from.A photo shared by Durham Constabulary as its officers appeal for help in finding out where the British and German medals have come from.
A photo shared by Durham Constabulary as its officers appeal for help in finding out where the British and German medals have come from.

Detective Constable John Forster said: “We are trying to find out if there is a victim here and we have tried matching them up with crimes in Northumbria and elsewhere, but nothing has come to our attention so far.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We think someone, or maybe a family member of possibly someone elderly, is missing these.

"They might not be of great value, it could just be sentimental value, but it may be that someone has a memory of seeing them and knows they are missing.”

As part of inquiries, a 46-year-old was arrested in Murton on suspicion of theft and money laundering in the same month as they were found, with the investigation ongoing.

One of the medals found by Durham Constabulary is a German West Wall medal.One of the medals found by Durham Constabulary is a German West Wall medal.
One of the medals found by Durham Constabulary is a German West Wall medal.

Anyone who can help officers identify the owners of the medals or have any information that could help with their inquiries is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101 and ask to speak to Det Con John Forster.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He can also be emailed via [email protected].

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.