A manufacturing tycoon claims police spent more time trying to confiscate his legally owned guns than probing a £300,000 jewels heist at his home.
Officers told 75-year-old Gary Hugh to relocate his three rifles and four shotguns after burglars ransacked his home in the raid.
His wife Carol, 75, was in the bath on January 11 when thieves broke in. Among the items stolen were her white diamond engagement ring worth £102,000 and a £106,000 heart-shaped diamond necklace.
Bypassing a guard dog and multiple alarm systems, the burglars used a ladder to climb through a window leading to the master bedroom.
They rifled through Mrs Hugh’s Louis Vuitton jewellery box in the walk-in wardrobe before making off with the couple’s safe – leaving a trail of muddy footprints back to the window.
But, according to grandfather-of-four Mr Hugh, instead of trying to catch the criminals, authorities spent ‘hours’ quizzing him about his legally-owned firearms before demanding their removal from his Nottinghamshire estate.
Police said they feared the burglars might return and steal the weapons, despite them being kept in a hidden storage unit that met all legal requirements.
The businessman claims he had six conversations with officers regarding the guns – but just three about the burglary.
Gary Hugh and his wife Carol, both 75 at their home. The couple are critical of the police response after burglars stole £300,000 worth of their jewellery, but officers spent more time investigating Gary’s legally held guns
Among items stolen from the couple’s home was this Graff white round diamond engagement ring worth £102,000
He told the Daily Mail: ‘The police have been completely hopeless and uncaring.
‘Far more attention has been focused on my hobby and faffing about with my sporting guns than trying to solve the crime.
‘They’re my guns. It’s me that’s been robbed. Why should I be victimised and penalised for this?.’
He added: ‘The police are not doing their jobs. They’ve not lifted the burglars, and I have not got my jewellery back.
‘I am frustrated, angry and concerned about the trauma suffered by my wife who was in our home when the house was invaded.’
Other stolen items included an 18-carat white gold diamond bracelet valued at more than £40,000, a Van Cleef necklace and earring set worth around £23,000 and Graff diamond earrings costing £28,000.
The distressed couple – who have been married for more than 50 years – had to call the police twice before two officers finally attended the scene after two hours.
They stayed for around ‘ten minutes’, it was claimed.
Two days after the burglary Major Martin Newnham, a firearms licensing review officer, told Mr Hugh he needed to remove his seven legally-owned weapons from the house.
This £106,000 heart-shaped diamond necklace was also snatched by the thieves who invaded the couple’s home on January 11
Two of the four shotguns are handmade and valued at around £100,000 each.
If Mr Hugh failed to comply with the new storage requirements, police would have had the right to confiscate the weapons under the Firearms Act 1968.
In an email littered with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes Major Newnham told the businessman he would need to ‘lodge’ his firearms elsewhere to ‘mitigate’ problems related to ‘any potential break-ins moving forward’.
Mr Hugh is now paying for his guns to be stored elsewhere.
Inspector Georgie Newton, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Firearms Management Team, said: ‘In response to the reported burglary, a risk assessment was completed in respect to his continued possession of guns at the home.’
He added that the guns were voluntarily removed and placed into alternative storage.
Police have so far made no arrests relating to the burglary and have failed to recover any of the stolen items.
Mrs Hugh said she was left ‘really traumatised’. She added: I’m not much of a crier normally but I have been crying a lot since it happened and waking up in the middle of the night, just sobbing.
‘I would dearly love my wedding ring and engagement ring back.’
Mr Hugh made his fortune by setting up and selling two major manufacturing businesses for a combined value of £110million.
Detective Chief Inspector Les Charlton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘We know this has been a deeply upsetting incident for the couple and we are doing everything we can to reunite them with their stolen property.
‘We are committed to doing all we can to pursue offenders and bring them to justice.
‘In circumstances where a property has been targeted and a burglary has taken place, we routinely ask certificate holders to voluntarily lodge their firearms at a temporary location.’
