Family heirloom jewellery stolen from Bath family on train

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

A reminder to us all...always keep an eye on your luggage. I know that's often easier said than done with high density, high backed seating on most trains nowadays:
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Family-heirloom-jewellery-stolen-Bath-family-train/article-3520854-detail/article.html

Family heirloom jewellery has been stolen by thieves who ran off with a suitcase belonging to a Bath family. The case was taken as the family travelled between London and Bath by train last Friday.

Police say they have been left ^distraught^ by the theft of items worth several thousand pounds which have been passed down through several generations. The distinctive jewellery, which includes a diamond and emerald set and a number of other items, was in a case taken from the 8.45pm train between Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads.

DC^▸ (Direct Current) Danny Murphy of the British Transport Police is appealing for information about the whereabouts of the jewellery, which has been described by the victims as treasured family heirlooms.

^The stolen jewellery is unique and unusual in design and some of it has been passed down through several generations of the family. It is of huge sentimental value,^ he said. ^At this stage, it^s unclear when the suitcase was taken from the train but we do know that after Paddington, the service stopped at Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon and Chippenham before reaching Bath Spa where the luggage was discovered missing by the victims.

^I am appealing for anyone who was on the train and may have seen anyone acting suspiciously to come forward. I would also like to hear from anyone who is offered jewellery in unusual circumstances to come forward.^

DC Murphy also issued a warning to passengers to keep a close eye on their belongings while travelling on trains. ^It is essential that you keep an eye on your possessions at all times when travelling,^ he said.

^Thieves often target trains before they leave mainline stations and they are particularly drawn to items that are left unattended. Don^t make it easy for them.^

Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, quoting incident number B5/WWA of 04/05/2011, or information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

[inspector_blakey]

Without wishing to sound unsympathetic, had it been me I don't think I've have put the family heirlooms on the luggage rack - my general rule of thumb is that if I wouldn't check it as hold baggage on an aircraft then I wouldn't leave it on the luggage rack.

I'd tend to keep valuables like that in a small bag and close at hand, either by my feet or on the overhead rack, just as with hand luggage on a flight.

[Mookiemoo]

Can I also say that if you lose something on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) - don't hold your breath about getting it back

Experience 1 - overnight sleeper - lost pencil case with pens .... worth a few hundred - in my berth so no passing travellers - I got off - items never showed up anywhere - and no one seems to know where the lost property off the sleeper into PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) goes

Experience 2 - left my purse on a taunton service where I got off at nailsea.  knew exactly where it was.  ^50 in cash and cards in it and my drivers licence which is still at my moms address.  Cancelled cards as knew I had to.  Purse never showed up on any lost property logs.  Two months later an envelope is shoved through my moms door with my drivers licence, all the receipts in the purse - no stamp, never been through the post and on the back of the envelope the hand written note - all other items destroyed

?

I still have the evidence since I photo'd it and posted it to FGW for an explanation but was never sending the originals

[inspector_blakey]

My one experience of losing something on an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) train was much more positive...mobile slipped out of pocket early one Saturday morning whilst I was travelling from Didcot to Temple Meads on a Penzance service taking the Great Way Round. Picked up later that morning in Cornwall by a nice lady from Falmouth who looked up my folks in the stored contacts, called them, got my address, mailed it back to me and flatly refused all offers of reimbursement.

[thetrout]

Again without wanting to sound unsympathetic... Surely if things like this happen (which they do) it would have been more sensible to fit the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets with CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision)??

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) fitted the 15x fleet with it, but not the HST sets, just seems a bit silly that...??!

[grahame]

I really wonder how we - especially the sole traveller - are supposed to "keep our luggage with us at all times" and keep an eye on it when we're provided with zero space near our airline seats, and views away from the luggage racks.  No-one has come up with an answer yet.

Here's an idea.   Take out all of the seats down one side of the train, and let people take luggage trolleys onto the train, to travel in the cleared flat area with them.   Bigger doors between carriages so thatwe can take them to the restaurant buffet, and every loo a disabled loo so we can take the trolleys in there.   The disabled loo itself would need to be double sized for a wheelchair and trolley.

Of course, there could be some silly scheme to allow baggage to be checked in at the departing station and returned at destination, and you could even charge 10 quid a case.   But I don't think that idea would fly 

[thetrout]

Of course, there could be some silly scheme to allow baggage to be checked in at the departing station and returned at destination, and you could even charge 10 quid a case.   But I don't think that idea would fly 

Ryanair Railways Anyone...??

[bobm]

From Get Wokingham

A thief who stole a suitcase containing sentimental possessions and credit cards from a train has been jailed for three years after he was caught on CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision).
 
Julian Percy Hodgkins, 45, of Alder Close, Lower Earley, was jailed at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, May 2 after admitting theft and two counts of fraud.
 
The court heard the victims - a mother, father and daughter from Bath - were returning from holiday on Friday, 29 April last year, when they boarded a train at Paddington carrying three large suitcases, a violin case, a shoulder bag and a small case, which they placed in the luggage racks.
 
Station CCTV showed Hodgkins closely following the family onto the train without any luggage.

He was then captured on camera leaving the train at Reading station carrying a small case belonging to the family.
 
The court heard he left the scene, boarding another train towards London Waterloo, where the case was found abandoned.

The case, which the family reported missing that evening, contained personal possessions including precious jewellery ^ the majority of which was stolen.
 
But a few days later Hodgkins used one of the credit cards to withdraw ^500 from a cash point in Lower Earley.
 
The card was subsequently blocked, although Hodgkins had unsuccessfully tried to take out further cash on May 1 last year.
 
British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) identified Hodgkins after viewing CCTV. His fingerprints matched those prints found on the case and he was charged.
 
BTP Detective Constable Ian Waudby, investigating officer, said: ^The victims were targeted by Hodgkins while they were preoccupied, weary from travelling and sitting away from their luggage.
 
^They were unaware  their belongings had been stolen until they arrived at Bath station. At that point it was late at night, they had no car or house keys and were left extremely distressed by the theft of their possessions, which held great sentimental value to them.
 
^Luckily some of their most precious possessions were hidden in their case and have been retrieved, however they have been left out of pocket by around ^9,500.
 
^I hope this sentence sends a strong message to thieves that thanks to brilliant CCTV around the rail network, they will be caught and brought to justice.^
 
Police advice for passengers travelling with luggage:
 
- Always keep your belongings close by
 
- Check your luggage regularly
 
- Be extra vigilant when the train stops at a station
 
- If you move to another carriage, take your valuables with you - never leave them unattended
 
- Report suspicious behaviour to a member of staff or a police office