Sussex couple 'astounded' as family heirloom found on eBay 7 years after being stolen

A couple from Sussex have spoken of their delight at being reunited with an antique clock which was stolen from their home seven years ago.

The heirloom has been in Paul Janes' family for almost one hundred years. Paul’s grandfather, Leonard King, was presented with the clock, after assisting a police officer from Maidstone Borough Police Force with the arrest of two violent prisoners on Boxing Day 1925.

But in January 2015, while Paul and his wife Annette were away for the night, burglars broke in and took the timepiece, ransacking a number of rooms in the house.

They immediately reported the burglary to police but after an investigation, the case was filed as there were no viable lines of enquiry.

But in a surprising turn of events, the clock turned up at a boot sale in Ford, West Sussex, a few years later.

It was bought and then changed hands again, after being listed on eBay, which is where its journey home began.

The eBay buyer, who wanted to remain anonymous, spotted the listing and undertook some research after reading the clock’s personalised plaque. He was concerned that such a personal possession wouldn’t have been sold legitimately.

He researched the victim’s grandfather and found a newspaper article about the burglary, before contacting Sussex Police. Detectives from Hastings CID then contacted Paul and Annette to inform them that the clock had been located.

“I never expected to see it again, Paul said.

“I was absolutely astounded and delighted.

"I am so grateful to the finder, who would only let me cover his purchase fee on the understanding that he could donate it to a firefighters’ benevolent fund, Paul added.

"He was an ex-Metropolitan firefighter who retired some years ago”.

Detective Sergeant Chris Milner said: “We were delighted to be able to reunite this item with the owner, and it also shows the vital importance of police actions such as listing items on property databases and publicising such crimes in media releases in the hope that one day they will be identified and returned”.