Police make arrest after jewellery stolen during burglary in Lyme Regis
£54,000 worth of handmade jewellery items were taken
Last updated 20th Sep 2022
Officers are appealing for information as they investigate a report of a burglary at a jewellery store in Lyme Regis and issue images of some of the stolen items.
It was reported that between around 1.40am and 2.45am on Tuesday 13 September 2022 a break-in occurred at Jewellery by Lucy Campbell in Mill Lane and a large number of handmade jewellery items were stolen.
Following enquiries, a 59-year-old man of no fixed abode was arrested on suspicion of burglary and released on police bail as officers continue with their investigation.
Police Constable Anthony Elswood, of West Dorset police, said:
“We are carrying out a number of enquiries into this matter and have obtained images of some of the items of jewellery that were reportedly stolen.
“I would ask anyone who comes across these or similar items being offered for sale online or locally in unusual circumstances to please contact us."
“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area during the early hours of Tuesday 13 September 2022, or anybody else with information that might assist our investigation.”
Owner "bowled over" by support from community
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio Dorset, Lucy Campbell who handcrafted most of the jewellery stolen from her studio, has thanked people for their support after two separate fundraising pages have been setup to help her restock.
In total, she's estimated to have suffered a loss of £54,000 in stock, in addition to £1,000 worth of damages to the property.
"I've been absolutely bowled over by the response. I never expected people to come out and send such wonderful messages of support but also financially help. It made me cry to be quite honest, I'm really touched."
"You feel like your heart's been ripped out and it's really upsetting. Your immediate thinking is that the world is a bad place and what the last week has also showed me is that's not the case for most people.
"The two people that set up these fundraisers, I've never met them before. It's an incredible thing to know that humanity can be kind like that."
Lucy also told us she's keen to retrieve the stolen jewellery, which she tells us it's the equivalent to a year's worth of work.
"It's all really kind of one-off, unique jewellery. Every piece has had hours and hours of love and care gone into it. By the very nature of being hand-made, it takes a long time to make.
"For one person to come and take that amount of jewellery in one go, is completely devastating."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55220149883.
Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.