An antique thief was caught on camera smashing a glass cabinet at a historic castle to steal a £80,000 candelabra in front of sixty school children.
Henry Tyson Whilser, 31, travelled 150 miles to Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, to steal the 200-year-old antique treasure.
CCTV cameras followed him into the castle before he used a brick to smash the glass display cabinet holding valuable heirlooms.
In the brazen act caught on camera, Wilsher entered the castle on April 8 during an event where local primary school children were presenting their projects to judges and guests.
He talked to the receptionist before making his way to the Crawshay Room, where he broke into the display cabinet to take the candelabra, which has a value of around £80,000.
The candelabra dates back 200 years, when the castle was owned by the Crawshay family.
Following the theft, Wilsher fled the castle, escaping in a silver Ford Fiesta that had been stolen on March 24 when a delivery driver left the car running with the keys still in the ignition while making a delivery.
On the night of the theft, the car was recorded on dashcam footage from an approaching car as it sped away through the one-way entry system of the castle’s car park.
Henry Tyson Whilser, 31, travelled 150 miles to Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, to steal the 200-year-old antique treasure
CCTV cameras followed him into the castle before he used a brick to smash the glass display cabinet holding valuable heirlooms
Following the theft, Wilsher fled the castle, escaping in a silver Ford Fiesta that had been stolen on March 24 when a delivery driver left the car running with the keys still in the ignition while making a delivery
South Wales Police then launched an appeal to try and find him, and he was traced 150 miles away after a store owner noticed his distinctive shoes.
On April 9, the owner of Sole Mate, a shoe store located in Pontmorlais, Merthyr, contacted officers through a Live Chat service after seeing a media appeal which included an image of the suspect wearing a baseball cap and shoes.
The shop owner believed these shoes closely resembled a pair he had sold to a man just days earlier and provided a statement regarding the connection.
Wilsher, of Bagworth, Leicestershire was sentenced to 32 months at Teeside Crown Court on Thursday.
He pleaded guilty to theft, receiving stolen good and criminal damage.
Sergeant Watts of South Wales Police said: ‘This was a brazen theft in broad daylight, that left a group of school children shocked and upset.
‘Through the work of the investigation team, we were able to identify Tyson Wilsher and bring him to justice, Wilsher’s actions show he believed he was above the law and didn’t care about how his actions impacted the venue.
‘I’m pleased to see the sentence determined by the courts.’
In the brazen act caught on camera, Wilsher entered the castle on April 8 during an event where local primary school children were presenting their projects to judges and guests
He talked to the receptionist before making his way to the Crawshay Room, where he broke into the display cabinet to take the candelabra, which has a value of around £80,000
The candelabra dates back 200 years, when the castle was owned by the Crawshay family
Wilsher, of Bagworth, Leicestershire was sentenced to 32 months at Teeside Crown Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to theft, receiving stolen good and criminal damage
Merthyr Tydfil Council leader Brent Carter said: ‘It was awful. There were sixty school children here from Cyfarthfa Park Primary.
‘They were here enjoying themselves, looking around the museum, and a gentleman came in, picked a house brick out of his pocket, and smashed the casing, tore back the glass and stole the candelabra.’
Cyfarthfa Castle was built in 1825 as a castellated mansion home for industry boss William Crawshay II who owned the nearby ironworks and was known as the ‘iron king’.
It is now a museum and art gallery which is open to the public all year round.