A student has spoken of how ‘happy and grateful’ she felt after police reunited her with a book her mum prepared for her before she passed away.
Libby Day, a 21-year-old who recently finished studying the final year of her accounting and finance degree, had packed up her belongings in a suitcase ahead of making the drive home to Hertfordshire on Friday 12 June.
When she left her city-centre accommodation for what she thought would be the final time, she was shocked to find that her car had been broken into and her suitcase stolen.
Libby said: “I was distraught when I realised my suitcase had been taken, it was clear someone had rummaged through my car to find it.
“The suitcase contained a really valuable book to me that my mum had prepared before she passed away a year ago.
“Clearly that would have been of no value to the person who took it but it was of incredible sentimental value to me.
“My housemates and I searched the area hoping that whoever had taken it had dumped it somewhere but we couldn’t find it. My dad came up to help and we searched but we couldn’t find it. I was devastated.
“The book is the only thing I cared about – it was irreplaceable. I can replace clothes but could never replace the book.”
As Libby came to terms with the idea that she would never see the book again, a man was arrested in Nottingham city centre in connection with a theft from a car.
When officers from Nottinghamshire Police searched an address linked to that incident, they spotted a suitcase inside the house. The suitcase had an airport tag that had been left on it. On that tag was a name – Libby Day.
Police then made contact with Libby to tell her that her suitcase had been recovered.
Libby said: “I was so happy and grateful when they told me that they’d found it. I left at 6am the next day to drive back up to Nottingham and pick it up.
“I was talking to my friends about this and one of them said ‘I just wish I could give the officers who found it a hug’ and that’s how I feel about it.
“I’d been in Nottingham for three years and never had any issues at all, for this to have happened on my last day in the city was just awful but I am so happy that I have the book back.”
Nottingham city centre Community Protection Inspector Anwaar Ahmed, said: “This was really good proactive, intelligence-led policing effort from City Centre Beat Team and Operation Relentless which resulted in Libby’s items being recovered as part of a wider investigation into a series of thefts.
“It is fantastic that we were able to reunite Libby with her book, particularly considering the sentimental value of the book.
“It is a fine example of the hard work our officers do to not only find those responsible for crime but to provide care for victims.”
