Prompt action by British Transport Police officers reunited a widow with her stolen teddy bear – a present from her late husband – after her luggage was taken from a train at Doncaster.
Linda Lawson, from School Aycliffe, near Darlington, was on board an LNER service from London King’s Cross to Darlington, returning from a trip to Cologne in Germany.
On reaching Doncaster, she checked to make sure her case was safe. However, checking again as the guard blew the whistle, she noticed it had gone!
She immediately ran to the train door and alerted the guard on the station guard who stopped the train from leaving. Mrs Lawson got off the train and she and British Transport Police (BTP) searched both platforms but found no sign of the thief or her suitcase.
However, when the BTP officers checked CCTV video recordings, they saw that the thief had taken the case into a waiting room before boarding a train to Sheffield.
A quick call, and police officers were waiting for the culprit when he alighted from his train at Sheffield. The case was recovered and PC Rob Simpson handed it over the case to Mrs Lawson the following day.
He said: “It was thanks in no small part to Mrs Lawson constantly keeping her eye on her luggage that we were able to act immediately when she reported it stolen.
“This and the fact that her case was very distinctive and had a ribbon threaded through the handle there was no mistaking that it was her property when we spotted the suspect with the case.”
Linda Lawson said: “I cannot thank PC Simpson enough. I couldn’t have asked for more from British Transport Police and all the rail staff at the station – they comforted me, put me on a train home and reassured me they had my case with everything inside and would personally reunite me with it.
“The thought of losing the bear my husband gave me was too much. I am so grateful he’s back home with me.
“My late husband always told me to keep an eye on my belongings, so I think he probably prompted me to take a look – thankfully I did and realised that in just seconds my case had gone.”
Mustafa Mouni, 32, of Glover Road, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to theft and received an 18-week sentence suspended for 12 months by Sheffield magistrates on May 17. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge £154 and costs of £85.
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