Essex man reunited with stolen Pokémon card worth around £30,000
It had been listed for sale on Facebook
A thief who admitted stealing a rare Pokemon card, valued at up to £30,000, has received a caution as the game card was handed back to its owner in Essex.
Police were called on 21 October by a company in Heathfield, East Sussex, that grades Pokémon cards, a process to judge how valuable a card is worth, to a report that the valuable ‘Charizard’ card they sent back had not returned to its owner in Essex.
The theft is believed to have taken place between 2 and 5 September in Heathfield.
It was then discovered that the same card was seen being sold on Facebook.
Following an investigation by Sussex Police, a 23-year-old man from Polegate was identified as a suspect and arrested at his address on 27 October, on suspicion of theft.
A search order was authorised on his property and officers found the rare card inside.
After a voluntary interview, the suspect admitted to stealing the card and showed remorse for his actions.
The rare card, valued between £20,000 and £30,000, was returned to its owner.
The suspect was interviewed and admitted to stealing the card and received a caution.
A video appointment with the grading company was made on the day of the report, which led to the swift investigation and arrest of the suspect.
Police Constable Alan Russell, the officer who handled the initial investigation, said: “We identified a line of enquiry quickly and were able act quickly.
"It was a valuable item which meant a lot to the victim who had it stolen.
The victim is happy that his card was returned and our teams worked really well together to solve this case.”