Thief jailed for part in £70,000 Fife jewel heist

COURT: Victims went hunting for missing valuables and walked into Edinburgh jeweller’s shop to find owner wearing one of their stolen rings

One of the men involved in a £70,000 Fife jewel heist was jailed yesterday.

Mark McGrorty was sentenced to nine months in prison for his part in selling jewellery taken in a raid on a £2 million country house.

Jewellery, valued at £70,000 by its owners for insurance purposes, was taken from a safe at Lochiehead House, Auchtermuchty, at some point between July 25 and 28 2014.

Dundee Sheriff Court previously heard how the victims started their own hunt to find their missing treasures and walked into a jeweller’s shop to find the owner wearing one of their stolen rings.

Sheriff Alistair Carmichael told McGrorty only a custodial sentence was appropriate.

The crime came to light in December 2014 when an Edinburgh jeweller contacted police believing he had bought stolen jewellery.

It then emerged that co-accused Brian Richardson had walked into the Joseph Bonnar Jeweller’s store on Edinburgh’s Thistle Street and sold a pair of opal earrings, a necklace and two aquamarine earrings for a total of £1,400.

The crook even provided his own full name and address to the shop’s proprietor as he carried out his scheme.

The victims of the theft were informed of the discovery by police and decided to visit other jewellers’ shops to see if they could find any more stolen goods.

Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court previously the victims went to James Ness and Sons on the capital’s Queensferry Street.

She said: “They told staff about the break-in and described the items and staff immediately went quiet.

“The proprietor then entered wearing one of the rings that was missing.

“He denied having any of the stolen goods but the owners saw a pair of earrings in a cabinet that they believed were theirs. On August 27 2014, accused McGrorty had attended and was paid £4,000 via bank transfer for a yellow diamond ring.”

McGrorty, 38, of Kildownie Crescent, Ballingry, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of resetting a quantity of jewellery that had been dishonestly appropriated by theft.

Richardson did not appear at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday but will be sentenced later this week.

His defence solicitor explained he had been arrested over the weekend and was due to appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Richardson, 27, of Main Street, Crosshill, admitted resetting jewellery at two jewellery shops in Edinburgh on December 10 and 12 2014.

Sheriff Carmichael deferred sentence on Richardson until Friday for his personal appearance.

Mark McGrorty, of Ballingry, was jailed for nine months at Dundee Sheriff Court for his part in the theft.