Police hunting lamp thief recover hundreds of antique lanterns
Some 296 ornate light fittings were found at a house in Barkway, Cambridgeshire, earlier this month after hundreds of listed lamps and street lights went missing.
They included three vintage Richardson candle lamps which were first installed in Cambridge in the 1950s.
The theft of the Grade II-listed lamps, which were taken from the centre of the university city in September and October last year, was described by Historic England as a 'heritage crime'.
Other lanterns found in the property appeared to have been stolen from ordinary houses. Several of them were missing panels.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft. He was released on bail while investigations continue and is due to report to a police station on April 1.
Pc Thomas Woollard, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, said the 'unique case' involved lights that had been stolen from multiple counties.
He said: 'We believe the majority are from across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire and may have gone missing in the last six months.
'This is a unique case and significant investigations are being conducted into the items recovered. We have already made contact with local authorities and Heritage England. If you think some may belong to you, please get in contact.'
A report last year found that thefts of historic metal and stone objects were on the rise, with some thieves disguising themselves as workers by wearing high-visibility clothing.
Research by Historic England and the National Police Chiefs' Council found that church roofs, stone walls, paving slabs, troughs and fountains were among the materials being targeted.
The Richardson street lights were stolen from St John's Street and Trumpington Street in the centre of Cambridge between Sept 13 and Oct 1 last year.
At the time, a Historic England spokesman said: 'The Richardson candle street lights are a distinctive feature of Cambridge city centre and are Grade II listed.
'We are aware of the unexplained disappearance of three of the lamps and have offered our support and advice to Cambridgeshire Police in their investigation of this apparent heritage crime.'
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
4 hours ago
- Black America Web
‘Top Boy' Actor Michael Ward Accused Of Rape And Sexual Assault In UK
Source: SAMEER AL-DOUMY / Getty Michael Ward, the British actor known for his role in Netflix 's popular series Top Boy has been charged with rape and sexual assault connected to alleged events that took place in 2023. The 27-year-old Jamaican-born performer is slated to appear before the Thames Magistrates' Court on Thursday, Aug. 28 to answer to the charges, People reports. He is currently facing two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault levied by an accuser who remains unnamed by UK police. 'Our specialist officers continue to support the woman who has come forward – we know investigations of this nature can have significant impact on those who make reports,' said Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, whose team is leading the investigation for Metropolitan Police. Ward has not been arrested in connection to the crime and will appear before the court under his own free will. The young actor has been making a name for himself over the last few years appearing in projects like The Book of Clarence, The Beautiful Game and The Old Guard. He also received rave reviews for his work in The A List prior to his breakout role as Jamie on the Drake-produced Top Boy . 'I deny the charges against me entirely. I have cooperated fully with the police throughout their investigation and will continue to cooperate,' Ward said in a statement amid the charges. 'I recognise that proceedings are now ongoing, and I have full faith that they will lead to my name being cleared. Given those proceedings, I am unable to comment further.' Though the allegations against Ward are serious, the deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London South, Catherine Baccas, has asked that the public allow the actor his right to a fair trial before rushing to judgment. 'Having carefully reviewed a file of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan police to charge Micheal Ward, 27, with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against a woman in January 2023,' said Baccas in a statement. 'We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and he has a right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.' The post 'Top Boy' Actor Michael Ward Accused Of Rape And Sexual Assault In UK appeared first on Bossip. SEE ALSO 'Top Boy' Actor Michael Ward Accused Of Rape And Sexual Assault In UK was originally published on
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Ghislaine Maxwell still mulling whether to testify before Oversight Committee, her attorney says
Ghislaine Maxwell is still weighing whether she will testify before Congress even though the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed her to do so. Earlier this week, the powerful Oversight panel subpoenaed Maxwell for a deposition on Aug. 11 due to the 'immense public interest and scrutiny' surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case. 'Congress has asked her to testify, we have to make a decision about whether she will do that or not,' her attorney David Oscar Markus told reporters Friday. 'We haven't gotten back to them on whether we'll do that.' The statement signals Maxwell is still mulling whether to plead the Fifth Amendment or other privileges to fend off the subpoena. Should she take the Fifth, the Oversight panel could offer her some type of immunity in a bid to get her to talk. 4 Ghislaine Maxwell could plead her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid testifying before the House Oversight Committee. 4 Attorney David Oscar Markus has argued that Ghislaine Maxwell was unfairly convicted. AP On Thursday and Friday, Maxwell spoke with US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Trump's former defense attorney, about the Epstein case. The unusual meeting between Maxwell and Blanche for a type of interview that is typically left for lower-level Justice Department officials comes amid a public firestorm over the infamous pedophile, who committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. Maxwell, a British socialite, was found guilty in 2021 of child sex trafficking and engaging in a scheme to exploit minors with Epstein and sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison. Markus, who previously did a podcast episode with Blanche before the latter became the US deputy attorney general, said he was proud of his client's performance when asked if the interview altered the calculus of whether she would comply with the Oversight Committee's subpoena. 'I think Ghislaine did a wonderful job. She literally answered every question. She didn't say that 'I'm not going to talk about this person,' ' Markus said. 'She was asked maybe about 100 different people. She answered questions about everybody, and she didn't hold anything back.' 4 Ghislaine Maxwell is serving out a 20-year prison sentence. REUTERS Markus also claimed 'there have been no asks and no promises' made to get her to agree to the interview with Blanche, including the possibility of a pardon from Trump. Earlier Friday, Trump said he hasn't yet contemplated a pardon, but noted, 'I'm allowed to do it.' Maxwell is currently serving out her sentence, something that her legal team has been appealing all the way up to the Supreme Court. Former Epstein attorney Alan Dershowitz has publicly claimed Maxwell 'knows everything' about the convicted child sex offender's crimes. The Trump administration and Republicans have come under intense pressure from the MAGA base to give the public more answers about Epstein. The push for information comes after a July 6 memo from the DOJ and FBI memo said there was insufficient evidence to suggest Epstein even had an 'incriminating client list.' Democrats have sought to exploit the Epstein scandal and put Republicans on the spot with attempts to force a vote to publicly divulge the documents on the notorious sex predator. 4 House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has pursued testimony from Ghislaine Maxwell. Getty Images Those efforts resulted in the floor of the House of Representatives effectively becoming frozen due to GOP leadership's efforts to scuttle a Democratic effort to force a vote on Epstein. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his deputies have been keen to stick with Trump on the Epstein controversy. As a result, Republican leadership decided to send the lower chamber home for the August recess a day early. 'We want full transparency,' Johnson (R-La.) told CBS News' 'The Takeout with Major Garrett' Wednesday. 'We want everybody who is involved in any way with the Epstein evils — let's call it what it was — to be brought to justice as quickly as possible.' 'We want the full weight of the law on their heads.' Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) have cooked up a discharge petition, which will allow them to get a vote without GOP leadership's blessing, on a bill to force the release of the Epstein files. That discharge petition is poised to ripen when the House reconvenes in September from the August recess. Trump has expressed support for additional public disclosures in what he has dubbed the 'Epstein hoax' and backed a push by US Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue court approval for releasing grand jury testimony.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Feds move to deport 82-year-old convicted IRA terrorist after decades in the United States
A convicted terrorist and boss of the Irish Republican Army in North America may finally be getting booted from the United States. Gabriel Megahey, 82, lived in New York for decades but a June 20 letter from the US Department of Homeland Security warned his 'parole' was being terminated, nearly 30 years after he and other IRA members were given dispensation to stay in the country. 'Do not attempt to unlawfully remain in the United States — the federal government will find you. Please depart the United States immediately,' reads the one-page letter, which Megahey shared with the Irish Echo. Advertisement The Belfast native was convicted in 1983 in Brooklyn Federal Court for conspiring to buy missiles to shoot down British helicopters amid the violent clashes in Northern Ireland known as 'The Troubles.' Gabriel Megahey was convicted in 1983 of conspiring to buy weapons to shoot down British helicopters. Gabriel Megahey /Facebook At the time, federal authorities considered Megahey 'the officer commanding (OC) of America and Canada' for the IRA, he told PBS's Frontline. The married father of six served five years in federal prison for conspiracy and arms shipments. Advertisement Megahey, known by the nickname 'Skinny Legs,' was convicted with three others, with then U.S. Attorney John Dearie describing him at the time as 'the most culpable of these defendants,' and the group as a whole as 'a network of men who sought to use this country as a base of terrorist activities,' according to reports. 'No one wants peace more than us,' Megahey, who first settled in Jackson Heights, Queens in 1975, insisted at the sentencing hearing. He was released from prison in 1988 — but never deported. Advertisement Megahey and four other IRA members were then allowed to remain in the country as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the historic April 1998 accords which ended decades of violence in Ireland between those who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom and those who didn't. Now the grandfather of 14 and great-grandfather of five, who records show moved to Delaware in 2019, is reeling after DHS warned he would be fined and criminally prosecuted if he stays in the United States. Now 82, Megahey is facing deportation decades after he served his sentence. Gabriel Megahey /Facebook 'DHS is terminating your parole,' according to the one-page letter, which Megahey shared with the Irish Echo. 'Do not attempt to unlawfully remain in the United States — the federal government will find you. Please depart the United States immediately.' Advertisement Megahey, who relies on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to pay for expensive medicine necessary to treat a heart ailment, also faces the loss of his benefits. 'It would cost me $4,000 to $5,000 a month to pay for it on my own,' he told Straus News. 'I can't afford that. I'll have to go home.' DHS and Megahey declined comment.
