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Prolific thief jailed after stealing £799 orangutan statue from garden centre
Derek Lundgren, 61, has been jailed for one year and 11 months after stealing an orangutan statue from a Cambridgeshire garden centre and cycling away with it. The case matters because Lundgren had continued offending despite previous court sentences, and his latest theft also breached three suspended sentences.
CCTV showed Lundgren leaving Scotsdales Garden Centre in Horningsea on 7 September with the £799 ornament, which he carried across his bicycle’s handlebars. He pleaded guilty to theft from a shop and the sentence was imposed at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court; the statue has not been recovered. Police described him as a prolific thief.
In short
- Thief jailed for nearly two years over garden-centre statue theft.
- The orangutan figure was valued at £799.
- The statue has not been recovered.
Explained simply
Garden centres sell outdoor ornaments as well as plants and gardening supplies. This case concerns the theft of a large orangutan statue from a garden centre in Horningsea, Cambridgeshire; it has not been recovered.
Derek Lundgren had received suspended sentences for earlier offences, which can be activated if someone commits another crime during the suspension period. His latest offence breached three such sentences, so the court dealt with those alongside the theft. The case shows how previous sentences can affect the punishment for a new offence.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “I’m the king of the stealers! Prolific thief jailed for stealing £800 orangutan statue from garden centre before cycling off”.