Sentimental documents returned to rightful owner after police found them in Northamptonshire home

Sentimental documents, which were believed to be lost three decades ago, have been returned to the rightful owner after police found them in a Northamptonshire home.

A police officer came across the official documents during the execution of a search warrant in 2021 during a fraud investigation.

The officer found that the documents were not relevant to enquiries and did not belong to the person under investigation, but were likely to be important to their owner, so DC Britt Bailey set about tracking him down.

She wrote to potential matches across the country, from Sunderland to Hampshire, and received a reply from their rightful owner, Brian, now living in Loughborough.

He explained he believed the documents had gone missing during a house move in the early 1990s, and was thrilled to have them handed back at Wootton Hall on Thursday (March 21).

Brian said: “The documents have a huge sentimental importance to me. I did think my late wife had got rid of them so I have had to pop up to the churchyard and say sorry.”

DC Bailey added: “I knew it would be a long shot to find the right person given the age of the documents, so I’m really pleased to have been able to track Brian down and give them back.

“While it’s not clear how they ended up where they did, all that matters is they are back with Brian, especially after he explained how important they are to him.”