Bronze turtles statue stolen from art gallery

A thief has stolen a bronze sculpture of two turtles worth about £1,850 from an art gallery.

Entitled Turtle Duo by wildlife artist Stephen Rew, the work was taken from Adrian Hill Fine Art in Stamford at about 14:40 BST on 3 October, Lincolnshire Police said.

The force issued a CCTV image of man seen leaving the gallery who "may have information that could assist us in our investigation".

"We are appealing for information to help us identify the man in the image," the force added.

Gallery owner Adrian Hill said he had been in the industry 23 years and this was the first time anything had been taken from their premises.

"We like to think we're very vigilant, we've never had anything taken before," he said.

Stephen Rew was awarded the title of Wildlife Artist of the Year 2019 by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

He "dedicates a large portion of his time to working in close proximity to wildlife, where his inspiration is largely derived," the gallery said on its website.

"He works with conservation charities in a bid to 'do his bit' and help animals in the natural world."

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