St Albans man heartbroken after Elvis memorabilia is stolen
A HEARTBROKEN Elvis fan has had 45 years worth of memorabilia stolen from his garage in St Albans while away on holiday.
Peter Johnson, of Richmond Walk, Jersey Farm, discovered the theft when he returned from the annual meeting of the Elvis Presley Fan Club in Maplethorpe, Lincolnshire.
Thousands of pounds worth of collectors items had been taken by the thieves who had picked the lock on his garage and, despite being insured, Mr Johnson, 60, says the items, which included vinyl LPs, DVDs, CDs and signed pictures, are irreplaceable.
He said: “Many of the items can never be replaced and there was so much. My collection was so big that I am still going through my records of the things I’d collected and trying to find out what has been taken.”
The theft comes after a spate of reported burglaries and attempted burglaries from garages in the Jersey Farm area.
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A Herts Police spokeswoman said: “Officers have increased patrols in the area as a result and we are reviewing all of the crimes as a series, carried out by the same people.
“The vast majority of these have been attempted burglaries, so nothing has been stolen, but garage doors have been damaged.
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“This kind of crime is unusual in the area and we have seen an overall decrease in all crime by 15 per cent so far this year – the biggest decrease out of any district in the county.
“We are encouraging residents in the Jersey Farm area to be extra vigilant for any suspicious activity. If you think a crime may be in progress, always ring 999.
“Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed these offences or has any information about them. Please contact officers on the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222. Alternatively, you can ring Crimestoppers, an independent charity, anonymously on 0800 555111.”
Mr Johnson said: “I am devastated by this loss and would be very grateful for anyone with any information to come forward. If someone is trying to sell it on, please contact the police.”
He made a final emotional plea: “It’s a lifetime’s worth of collecting and it means so much to me.”
