Saturday February 16, 2008
New Zealand police recover stolen war medals
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand police have recovered rare war medals, including nine Victoria Crosses, which had been stolen from a national museum in December, officials said on Saturday.
The stolen medals included those awarded to New Zealand's most celebrated war hero, World War Two Captain Charles Upham, one of only three men to have won two Victoria Crosses, the highest award for bravery among Commonwealth nations.
Police said an unidentified third party helped arrange the return of all 96 medals after a British medal collector and a local businessman announced an award of NZ$300,000 ($238,095) for information on the missing medals.
"These medals are New Zealand's national treasures, with a value beyond any monetary worth. New Zealanders will be both delighted and relieved that the VCs and other medals have been recovered," Defence Minister Phil Goff said in a statement.
The medals were taken from the war museum on the outskirts of the small town of Waiouru, in the centre of New Zealand's North Island.
"The reward was offered for information leading to the safe return of the medals and that has encouraged a person to come forward and facilitate the return of the medals to police," the New Zealand Press Association quoted detective senior sergeant Chris Bensemann as saying.
Bensemann declined to say how how much of the reward was paid, but "an amount" would be transferred to a third party on Monday following several weeks of negotiations, NZPA said.
No immunity from prosecution or support for reduction in any sentence for any offender was given in return, Bensemann said, adding that the police will continue to hunt for the burglars.
A local export had valued the stolen medals to be worth around NZ$10 million. ($1=NZ$1.26)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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