Sentimental jewellery stolen in Kidderminster burglary (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Sentimental jewellery stolen in Kidderminster burglary

12:02pm Monday 24th September 2012 in News

THE widow of a bomb disposal expert killed in Iraq was left in tears after callous thieves stole sentimental jewellery belonging to her late husband in a burglary.

Jennifer Rimmell, 59, said she was now finding it difficult to sleep following the burglary on Monday last week.

The mother of three arrived home to find “everything” strewn across her bed and noticed items belonging to her late husband Ian, a bomb disposal expert with the UK-based charity Mines Advisory Group, who was shot dead in Iraq in 2003, and his family were missing.

The items stolen included ones he had bought for Mrs Rimmell and many of them were made of Arabic gold, which is a distinctive orangey-gold colour.

Details of the stolen jewellery and its value are still being confirmed, however.

Mrs Rimell, of Siskin W ay, Kidderminster, said: "I arrived home and noticed a few things were out of place but it was only when I went into my bedroom and saw everything strewn across my bed that I realised I had been burgled and I broke down in tears. Since then I have been finding it hard to sleep.

"All of the items had belonged to Ian or his family, or were bought by him for me, and are absolutely priceless to me."

It is not known how the thieves got into the house and house-to-house inquiries have been carried out in the area.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the burglary, which happened between 7.45am and 4.30pm, to come forward.

The stolen jewellery included four or five Arabic gold bracelets and three matching bracelets, a specially made Arabic pendent and chain with the name Jennifer spelt on it in Arabic and a rare Albanian coin, which was around 100 years old, and made of gold.

The coin, which would be slightly larger than a modern British 2p, was bought by the couple when they were on holiday in Albania in 1999.

Also stolen in the burglary was a gold sovereign coin which had belonged to Mr Rimell's parents, a gold signet ring which had the initials GJR engraved on it belonging to his father, a ladies gold ring with a yellow stone inset; an eternity ring believed to be made of marcasite and a ladies gold wedding band.

Mr Rimells's 22ct gold wedding ring, which had been on a long gold chain since his death, Mrs Rimell's matching 22ct gold wedding ring, another gold wedding ring, a gold and diamond eternity ring in a lattice design which had one or two of the stones missing and Mrs Rimell's 18ct gold engagement ring which had a large red garnet stone cut like a diamond, were also taken.

Police are now looking into whether the burglary may be linked to several other recent burglaries in the Spennells estate in which jewellery was stolen.

The burglaries include one in Yellowhammer Court between 8.15am and 2.15pm on Monday, August 20, when jewellery worth more than £3,000 was stolen.

Detective Constable Lloyd Davies of West Mercia Police said: "Burglaries have a huge emotional impact on their victims, and Mrs Rimell is absolutely devastated at the theft of the jewellery because of its sentimental value."

Witnesses or anyone with information about the Spennells burglaries are asked to contact Det Con Davies on the non-emergency number 101 quoting incident 95-N-170912 or ring the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.