Police have failed to come up with any positive clues so far in their hunt for the criminals who stole Marlborough’s unique mayoral chain last month by entering the town hall through an underground trap door.
But they are about to charge a fifth man with the theft of jewellery worth £130,000 from High Street jewellers Deacon & Sons and they are about to arrest more youths responsible for anti-social behaviour at the Mop Fair.
Police Inspector Mark Thompson gave the latest update to Marlborough Town Council at its meeting last night (Monday) and was clearly frustrated at the lack of progress over the mayoral chain theft.
Although a £5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the recovery of the multi-faceted gold chain, given to the council in 1914, it appears that it has produced no response so far.
“Unfortunately this crime is still outstanding despite hours of trawling through CCTV from the premises opposite the town hall,” said Inspector Thompson. “We do not have any leads as to suspects on this one.
“The chain has been advertised on websites where antiques and artefacts often come to light. But those of you know anything about art will back me up when I say that items of art, as in the case here, can disappear for long periods of time before it comes back into the public domain.
“So the mayoral chain may well stay out of circulation for a long time.”
He then added: “I don’t want to keep anybody’s hopes up but we may well not get it back and it may even have been melted down and lost forever. But if we can get it back we will do everything we can in our powers to do so and bring the persons responsible to justice.”
He revealed that a fifth suspect is due to be arrested later this week and charged with robbery from last month’s raid on the jewellery shop of Deacon & Sons.
He too, as with the four men so far arrested and remanded in custody, came from the Coventry area of the Midlands.
Referring the incidence of anti-social behaviour at the second weekend of Marlborough’s traditional Mop Fair last month, Inspector Thompson told councillors that further arrests of those responsible were imminent.
“There were unruly elements who came down from Swindon and clashed with unruly elements that do exist in Marlborough albeit in much smaller numbers,” he said.
“There was no running battle, more like running skirmishes between them, which has resulted in eight juveniles being arrested. More arrests are expected to be made, both local youths and Swindon youths, and they will be put through the same criminal justice system.
“The youngest is aged 15, the eldest 19. So you can see who were the cause of the problem.”
And amid laughter he added: “The biggest problem we had with the Mop Fair this year is that they came down from Swindon in taxis and we couldn’t find enough taxis here quick enough to send them back in.”
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