OMEN
03-27-2009, 11:13 AM
THIEVES who stole three rings worth around $110,000 from flamboyant country rock singer Jade Hurley hocked them to a pawnbroker for just $150, police say.
Police have located most of the $250,000 worth of jewellery stolen from Hurley by thieves.
While two rings are still missing, police have located four rings, a professional video camera, a necklace with Hurley's signature J on it and two bracelets.
The jewellery, which Hurley said was worth more than $250,000, was left in his motor home, which he parked outside his Gold Coast home.
A spokesman for the Burleigh Heads CIB said police first found the trail of jewellery by randomly visiting a pawnbroker who had bought three rings, worth around $110,000, for just $50 each.
The spokesman said a 19-year-old Currumbin man had shown proof of ID to the pawnbroker when making the sale. He was found by police and charged with entering a premises to commit an indictable offence and fraud.
"The (19-year-old) told us he saw the news later that night and asked himself: 'What have I got myself into?'" the police spokesman said. The spokesman said once the 19-year-old was located, police were able to follow the trail of the remaining jewellery.
Hurley said the discovery of the jewellery, which was not insured and took a lifetime to collect, literally made him sit down and cry with relief and happiness.
"This is a good day all round, great day for police because of what they've done, and their competency," he told AAP.
"It's also a great day for me now, I can go out and tour and display all the diamond jewellery that the fans come out to see and mesmerise over."
Hurley said he hoped this would send a message out there to other young people who were thinking of vandalising and stealing other people's property.
"Not only are they not the brightest kids, but the guy in the hock shop would have put his eye over these diamonds and all of his Christmases would have come at once," he said.
Hurley also thanked the mother of a girl also named Jade for emailing him after her daughter was given one of Hurley's J inscribed bracelets as a gift.
He said the woman had emailed him personally to let him know they had the bracelet and apologised for the naivety of her daughter.
AAP
Police have located most of the $250,000 worth of jewellery stolen from Hurley by thieves.
While two rings are still missing, police have located four rings, a professional video camera, a necklace with Hurley's signature J on it and two bracelets.
The jewellery, which Hurley said was worth more than $250,000, was left in his motor home, which he parked outside his Gold Coast home.
A spokesman for the Burleigh Heads CIB said police first found the trail of jewellery by randomly visiting a pawnbroker who had bought three rings, worth around $110,000, for just $50 each.
The spokesman said a 19-year-old Currumbin man had shown proof of ID to the pawnbroker when making the sale. He was found by police and charged with entering a premises to commit an indictable offence and fraud.
"The (19-year-old) told us he saw the news later that night and asked himself: 'What have I got myself into?'" the police spokesman said. The spokesman said once the 19-year-old was located, police were able to follow the trail of the remaining jewellery.
Hurley said the discovery of the jewellery, which was not insured and took a lifetime to collect, literally made him sit down and cry with relief and happiness.
"This is a good day all round, great day for police because of what they've done, and their competency," he told AAP.
"It's also a great day for me now, I can go out and tour and display all the diamond jewellery that the fans come out to see and mesmerise over."
Hurley said he hoped this would send a message out there to other young people who were thinking of vandalising and stealing other people's property.
"Not only are they not the brightest kids, but the guy in the hock shop would have put his eye over these diamonds and all of his Christmases would have come at once," he said.
Hurley also thanked the mother of a girl also named Jade for emailing him after her daughter was given one of Hurley's J inscribed bracelets as a gift.
He said the woman had emailed him personally to let him know they had the bracelet and apologised for the naivety of her daughter.
AAP