Sixty-year-old stolen tortoise reunited with elderly owner

A sixty-year-old tortoise who was taken from his home during a theft has been reunited with his elderly guardian thanks to officers from Coventry Police.

Ninety four year old Mrs Jean McCluskey was left devastated when her pet tortoise that had lived with her for over six decades was stolen from her Stoke home.

The tortoise was purchased back in the 1950s by Mrs McCluskey and her husband, and from that point on had become a beloved member of the family. Throughout the generations it had been a beloved pet of the couple’s son and then grandchildren.

To make matters worse, Mrs McCluskey’s husband sadly died at the start of 2015, making the loss of her beloved pet even harder.

The McCluskey family turned to Coventry Police for help. Officers discovered that he had not been seen since an unknown lady had visited the family home. They soon identified a possible suspect and searched the suspect's property. The operation was successful and the tortoise was discovered hidden in an upstairs bedroom.

Remarkably when officers returned the pet just two days later they were told that in all the 60 years the tortoise had never been given a name. Mrs McCluskey was so grateful of the work that she wanted to name him in their honour.

This honour was bestowed on investigating officer PC Baker, and the tortoise will now be known as ‘Badger' - PC Baker's nickname on account of his greying hair.