Man left 'penniless' after £75,000 of memorabilia is stolen from shed in Waltham
THIS man is "gutted" after thieves stole his collection of musical and automotive memorabilia – worth up to £75,000 – which he planned to sell to fund his retirement.
Former joiner Ron Shaw, 66, says he has been left "penniless" by the crime, describing his huge hoard, built up over 35 years, as his pension fund.
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Gutted: Ron Shaw with examples of the kind of automobilia that was stolen from his shed on Cheapside, Waltham. Despite what the enamel sign says, Ron insists 'it has definitely not been a good year'.
The collection, valued between £30,000 and £75,000, included guitars, jukeboxes, amplifiers and classic car spares, and was taken just weeks into his retirement.
It was stolen from a shed in Cheapside, Waltham, where Mr Shaw has stored the items for the past seven years, sometime during January.
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It is believed the culprits made several visits to the shed. Only a few items have been left behind.
None of the memorabilia is insured, as Mr Shaw, from Humberston, could not get cover for the building because of its asbestos roof.
He said: "I am gutted; that was my pension fund. It has cleared me out completely and I'm penniless now."
He discovered the theft after visiting the shed with his son on Monday, February 4, and is now appealing to members of the public to help reunite him with his possessions.
After retiring at the end of last year, Mr Shaw had planned to sell some of the items to fund his retirement.
"I valued the collection at about £30,000, but a friend of mine who is a valuer for an auction house said it was more like £75,000," he said.
"I had bought a chalet on Humberston Fitties which I planned to renovate and live the good life. I have worked all my life and never scrounged, but now I'm going to be living off benefits."
Others items were of huge sentimental value, among them a record of the Dire Straits single Romeo And Juliet, the favourite song of a former girlfriend.
A light blue Ford Anglia 105E, which he was restoring, an acoustic guitar which may have belonged to singer Joe Cocker, and an amplifier which once belonged to Ronnie Lane, bass guitarist with 1970s rock band The Faces, were also taken.
Referring to the recent death of a friend and fellow collector who died from Weil's disease – an infection carried by rat's urine which enters the body through cuts and scrapes – Mr Shaw added: "A rat finished him off and it's rats that have finished me off."
A Humberside Police spokesman confirmed an investigation is taking place. Anyone with information is asked to contact them on 101, quoting crime number 1956193, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
12 Comments
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by gilltillett
Monday, February 25 2013, 5:01PM
“By his sister
I would appeal to anyone who can help the identify just who could have carried out this crime to contact Grimsby Police or Crimestoppers. Ron is heartbroken. He has lost everything he has spent his life collecting and it could not have been replaced even if he could have got insurance. Please help if you can
Thanks”
by gilltillett
Monday, February 25 2013, 4:56PM
“This is a guy who is a collector. Had been collecting all his life. Obviously someone knew just where it was being stored. He could not get insurance and it was collectable stuff which could not be replaced even if he could have got insurance. He is heartbroken. Someone must know or have an idea who would carry out this theft. Please contact the Police if anyone can help”
by Fitties1
Thursday, February 21 2013, 8:07PM
“Youre all heart you lot
This is another low for the Illiterati of Grimsby
Poor bloke has had his possessions stolen and not one mention of the thieving scum that did this
Shame on you”
by Heiright
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 10:17PM
“Clearly a big numpty! I have so many questions! Why in a shed? Why couldn't he get contents insurance? In my experience you can insure anything if you pay the price! Why the chalet on the fitties? IMO this is a guy that constantly tries to do things on the cheap...... Cheap storage, no insurance, cheap home on the fitties which he will live in all year no doubt........ And now he's been bitten in the **** by his reluctance to pay out! Sorry harsh but true. I do hope he finds his stuff though if for no other reason than to get him off the benefit system”
by sunshine2000
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 9:28PM
“I put my bike in the house and garden tools because if they were in the shed they would go walkies”
by moonferret
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 5:02PM
“So he stored £75,000 worth of memorabilia (if it's really worth anything like that) in a SHED which was insecure and in a rural location miles from where he lived? Wow, just wow...”
by voxpax
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 11:32AM
“Verbatim quote using his past tense:
"I had bought a chalet on Humberston Fitties which I planned to renovate and live the good life. I have worked all my life and never scrounged, but now I'm going to be living off benefits."
http://tinyurl.com/ybzuwkq”
by bezziebird
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 10:54AM
“Why store items of value like that in a shed”
by Malcolm_Ex
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 10:54AM
“voxpax - the items were stolen from Cheapside, Waltham. He was going to sell them to buy a chalet.”
by voxpax
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 10:26AM
“Malcom, I assume the asbestos factor is how easy it is to break a hole for entry in it, especially if aged!
He's had a double whammy, if his solicitor didn't point out the chalet lease reduced occupancy clauses, and the environment agency flood risk assessment. Also the visible rate of sandhill erosion must cause flooding concern. Anyone who has been to see the starfish will marvel at the loss of sand recently, shown by fences left in mid air! It must by now be an insurance nightmare down there. Most insurance companies now have clauses called change of circumstances or material facts. Arguably the recent statements from the environment agency stating the increased flood risk and advising the council to push for 44 week occupancy (because of that risk), is a significant material fact. Ron could find his chalet difficult to insure or claim on if the public knowledge of risk was not fully declared! On the other hand he could sue the council for negligence if they let him occupy a chalet during well documented flood risk periods. The council will have a duty of care to those signatories of it's reduced occupancy lease's.”