Footage appears to show thieves stealing Chinese statues in Menston

This CCTV footage appears to have captured the moment thieves stole statues worth thousands of pounds from outside a home near Leeds.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Sep 2016, 17:18 BST
Updated 4th Oct 2016, 14:00 BST
CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.
CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.

The replica Chinese Terracotta Warrior statues were stolen from the driveway of a house in Menston.

And a resident, who did not want to be named, appears to have the caught two thieves in the act using CCTV cameras.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Police have now launched an investigation into the theft, which happened on September 3.

CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.
CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.

Footage appears to show two men, each loading a statue into a grey Citroen C3 car, before being driven away.

The the clay statues, part of a collection of six, were bought from China in 2004 and worth £1,000 each.

The resident said: “When I first realised the statues were gone, I just couldn’t believe it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They are very heavy and when I saw how the statues were stolen, I couldn’t believe how brazen they were.

CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.
CCTV footage appears to capture the theft of statues from a Leeds driveway.

“They were sentimental. I had them for a long time.”

Police said the theft took place between 4.15pm and 4.30pm on September 3 in Menston.

Inspector Beth Pagnillo, from Bradford District Police, said: “These statues are very distinctive and I would ask anyone who may have seen them or been offered similar for sale to contact police at Shipley on 101, quoting crime reference 13160394649, or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, who can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111.”

Related topics:CCTVLeedsPoliceChina