7:00am Thursday 31st December 2009
POACHERS with a difference took two deer from a country estate – the difference being that these animals were cast in bronze.
The suspects struck at a country estate on the outskirts of Hereford sometime between December 19 and 26.
Police believe the bronze buck and doe, together valued at £3,000, were stolen for their scrap value with the price of copper – a constituent of bronze – high on the black market.
But investigators are also exploring the possibility of the statues being stolen for what they are to be sold on.
At just over one metre tall, both bronzes could be lifted by one strong thief with a getaway driver waiting nearby. However, the exact location of the theft is not being revealed leaving the police to appeal for sightings of suspicious activity, individuals or vehicles around any of the county’s country estates recently.
The actual whereabouts of the bronze deer, or even a hint, would be the biggest breakthrough, however.
Any such information can be left with Shirley Knox on the public service desk at Hereford police station on 0300 333 3000.
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