South Yorkshire Times, July 2nd, 1960
Denaby Jewel Thief Crept Through Small Jagged Hole
West Riding Police are hunting the slim thief who squeezed through a small, jagged hole in a glass panel in the main doorway of a Denaby store and ransacked the building and stole jewellery.
The incident is believed eyed to have occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning. When Mr. George Morley, manager of David Haigh’s Ltd., Doncaster Road Dena by, opened up on Saturday morning, “it looked as though a bomb had hit the place.”
The thief stole 12 watches and 12 rings, but left furniture and clothing. The jewellery was worth over £30.
Mr. Morley told the “South Yorkshire Times” : “Carpets had been pulled down from the racks, and were scattered all over the floor, A bundle of letters had been thrown in the doorway, all the drawers in the pawnbroker’s department had been emptied and thrown down ”
Police believe that the intruded was familiar with the lay-out of the building. Mr. Morley said: “Apart front smashing the plate-glass windows, the main door was the only way he could have got in. All the windows at the side and back were barred.”
The panel had been smashed three feet from the ground. The gap was 8 ins. by 18 ins,
Did the thief have a conscience? Mr. Morley said : “Two pledge parcels were stolen, but the intruded apparently realised they did not belong to the firm, and threw back in the doorway.