Post by luke6745 on Aug 31, 2011 17:11:24 GMT 12
Man arrested for stealing 800 military medals
MICHAEL FORBES
THEFT: Six of the more than 800 medals stolen from the National Army Museum in Waiouru.
A man has been arrested today for allegedly stealing more than 800 military medals from the National Army Museum in Waiouru.
Keith John Davies, 57, appeared in Wellington District Court this afternoon and was remanded on bail till next month. He did not enter a plea and did not receive name suppression.
He was charged with the theft of 395 medal groups comprising 843 individual medals, obtaining property by deception, false accounting and unlawfully exporting New Zealand antiquities.
Davies is a former employee of the National Army Museum in Waiouru.
The estimated value of the 843 medals stolen is $256,000.
Davies returned voluntarily from Australia today and was arrested by police at Wellington Airport about 2.30pm.
His arrest follows a joint investigation by Central District Police and the Australian Federal Police, which has taken over a year.
A warrant to search Davies' Queensland home turned up a haul of the stolen medals in July.
To date 300, individual medals have been recovered including service medals, campaign medals and some gallantry medals.
Detective Senior Sergeant Keith Borrell, who led the investigation, said the investigation extended beyond a complaint of theft that was made in June last year.
The thefts are believed to have taken place between 1995 and 2002, they are not linked to previous incidents of theft at the museum and do not involve anyone currently employed by the museum, he said.
''I would like to express my gratitude to the New Zealand Army and the Australian Federal Police for the support and cooperation they have provided throughout the investigation.''
MISSING MEDALS
The army last year disclosed the loss of medals and other items from its 500,000-item collection after an Official Information Act request sparked by revelations that a curator Joe Evans had been sacked for stealing museum pieces.
At the time Army spokesman Kristian Dunne said the two sets of five or six medals were "lost, stolen or misplaced" and had been missing for some time.
Last year James Kapa got six years for his part in the smash and grab theft of 96 war medals - including nine Victoria Crosses, one belonging to war hero Charles Upham - from the Waiouru National Army Museum in December 2007 and Ronald van Wakeren, who had more than 159 previous convictions, was sentenced to 11 years' jail with a minimum term of seven years - six years for the medal heist and five for more than 50 other charges
- The Dominion Post
MICHAEL FORBES
THEFT: Six of the more than 800 medals stolen from the National Army Museum in Waiouru.
A man has been arrested today for allegedly stealing more than 800 military medals from the National Army Museum in Waiouru.
Keith John Davies, 57, appeared in Wellington District Court this afternoon and was remanded on bail till next month. He did not enter a plea and did not receive name suppression.
He was charged with the theft of 395 medal groups comprising 843 individual medals, obtaining property by deception, false accounting and unlawfully exporting New Zealand antiquities.
Davies is a former employee of the National Army Museum in Waiouru.
The estimated value of the 843 medals stolen is $256,000.
Davies returned voluntarily from Australia today and was arrested by police at Wellington Airport about 2.30pm.
His arrest follows a joint investigation by Central District Police and the Australian Federal Police, which has taken over a year.
A warrant to search Davies' Queensland home turned up a haul of the stolen medals in July.
To date 300, individual medals have been recovered including service medals, campaign medals and some gallantry medals.
Detective Senior Sergeant Keith Borrell, who led the investigation, said the investigation extended beyond a complaint of theft that was made in June last year.
The thefts are believed to have taken place between 1995 and 2002, they are not linked to previous incidents of theft at the museum and do not involve anyone currently employed by the museum, he said.
''I would like to express my gratitude to the New Zealand Army and the Australian Federal Police for the support and cooperation they have provided throughout the investigation.''
MISSING MEDALS
The army last year disclosed the loss of medals and other items from its 500,000-item collection after an Official Information Act request sparked by revelations that a curator Joe Evans had been sacked for stealing museum pieces.
At the time Army spokesman Kristian Dunne said the two sets of five or six medals were "lost, stolen or misplaced" and had been missing for some time.
Last year James Kapa got six years for his part in the smash and grab theft of 96 war medals - including nine Victoria Crosses, one belonging to war hero Charles Upham - from the Waiouru National Army Museum in December 2007 and Ronald van Wakeren, who had more than 159 previous convictions, was sentenced to 11 years' jail with a minimum term of seven years - six years for the medal heist and five for more than 50 other charges
- The Dominion Post
