Thief struck as wedding couple danced
ANEWLYWED couple from Maghull were “devastated” to find their wedding gifts had all been stolen – while they were having their first dance.
Siobhan, 40, and Malcom Lawson, 53, had their wedding at The Royal Clifton Hotel and Spa in Southport, on Friday, September 22 last year.
While the pair were enjoying their first dance as husband and wife, a callous thief raided their room and made off with their gifts and cards.
Siobhan told The Visiter that she was so devastated about what happened that it was only now she felt able to talk about it.
Recalling the incident, she said it wasn’t until the following morning that they realised everything had been taken, on what “should have been the best day of their lives”.
She added: “My husband went to look for one of our gifts, to find that they had been taken along with our cards.
“I couldn’t believe what had happened at first, I thought I was going mad.
“I didn’t think this could have happened on our wedding day.”
Siobhan said the items stolen included cards containing cash, presents, and a bottle of brandy worth hundreds of pounds.
The pair were unable to retrieve their goods, or compensation for them, as it is common practice in hotels across the country that safety of goods are the guests’ responsibility.
As a goodwill gesture, the Royal Clifton Hotel offered a free weekend stay for the couple, to mark their one-year anniversary.
Siobhan, a mum-of-two, added: “I am never going back there, it does nothing but bring back bad memories. When I found out we had been robbed, I spent the whole day in tears.
“It tarnished what was supposed to be the best time of our lives.
“I was also really distressed because the thief had been through all my suitcases and personal belongings. “It was an invasion of privacy. “It completely ruined the following day for us, and the rest of the weekend, as well as casting a bad light on our special day.”
The couple say they have also been left embarrassed after the incident, as they can’t thank family and friends personally for their gifts.
Siobhan, who is a lifeguard for Parkwood Leisure, added: “We don’t know what we were given and it’s not something you can ask people, is it?”
The pair had also planned to celebrate their wedding with a honeymoon in Croatia, which they failed to go on after the incident made them wary of hotels.
Director of operations at The Royal Clifton Hotel, Lee Crawford, confirmed that an incident was reported to the hotel.
He said: “The Royal Clifton Hotel and Spa are aware of an incident that took place on September 22. The management at the hotel fully co-operated with the police during their investigations.
“Here at the Royal Clifton Hotel and Spa, we have extensive CCTV coverage of our property and we were able to provide valuable CCTV footage to the police regarding this incident which has resulted in the arrest of a member of the public.”
Two similar incidents also took place at the hotel in the following weeks, which involved cash and credit cards being stolen.
Merseyside Police confirm they interviewed a 35-year-old man on suspicion of the three burglary offences.
The man, of no fixed abode, was interviewed in November and currently remains under investigation.