This was the moment surveillance cameras captured two smartly dressed con men making off with cash after defrauding a pawnbroker with a daring, fake gold swap.
Paul Wood, owner of Church Street Gold Pottery and Furniture in Stoke, was devastated when he was tricked into buying counterfeit gold bars by a man and woman who entered his shop last Thursday, June 20.
The pair, believed to be from Eastern Europe, said they wanted to sell some 9-carat gold. Paul held it in his hands and weighed it before agreeing to pay them £1,765.
Security footage shows the man using sleight of hand to swap the bag of real gold for fake gold, right under the nose of the unsuspecting Paul. The couple then fled with the money.
READ: Five suspects who appeared in court this week They all appeared at the North Staffordshire Justice Center
READ: ‘Monster’ storms into house with kids inside while mother wanted to go grocery shopping at 9pm Daniel Hodgkinson, 37, from Norton, left the youngsters terrified when he stole the family car
Paul said he called 999 and reported the matter to the police but was stunned to be told it would be six weeks before an officer could attend. He has now slammed the response from Staffordshire Police and believes the daring thugs could strike again elsewhere because of their lack of action.
Police have confirmed they are now on the hunt for the pair and have appealed for any witnesses to get in touch. It is the eighth time the shop has been targeted by thieves and burglars.
Paul, 58, from Stoke-on-Trent, said: “It was last Thursday and this man and woman came in saying they wanted to sell some gold. They were Eastern European, I think, and well presented and smartly dressed, and they seemed genuine enough.
“They gave me this gold, which I weighed and checked as I normally would. After confirming it was 9 carat gold, we agreed it would cost £1,765.
“He had the gold in a blue velvet bag and he kept trying to put it back in while I was trying to weigh it and I had to keep telling him, ‘I don’t want your bag.’ And this back and forth went on while he put the gold back in the bag and he was just trying to fool me.
“They then said they had some more gold, but I looked at it too and thought it didn’t look right, so I said I wouldn’t buy it. Then they somehow swapped the bag of real gold for the bag with the tattoo, which he had tied up really tight.
“I knew something was wrong when he threw the bag behind the counter, but when he walked to the front door, they wanted to look at something else in the window. They started talking and just kept me talking.
“I think they would have been gone long ago if they weren’t authentic, but I still have to go back and check that bag.
“But then they just took off. I ran straight back to the bag and had to cut it open with a knife because he had tied it so tight. All that fake gold was pouring out of the bag, so I ran out of the shop and down the street – but they were long gone. There must have been a car there.
“Looking back, I felt quite strange because I’m normally so careful. But they were in the store for about twenty minutes and I could never take my eyes off him.
“I looked at him and somehow he pulled the wool over my eyes, I don’t know how he did it. It was a pretty professional job.”
Paul, who has owned the store for 18 years, was then told by police that it would be six weeks before an officer could come out or personally attend a station.
He added: “I called 999 straight away but they told me to call 101, which took an hour to get through. I was then told I would have to wait six weeks for an officer to come round or I could make an appointment to come to a police station.
“I thought time would be of the essence to catch them, so I was quite surprised by their reaction.
“I told the police that I saw them on all corners through crystal clear CCTV footage. They told me to take the footage to a police station so they could record a statement.
“I think the police have given up, there are too few police and I feel sorry for them because they are not getting any help. But criminals get away with it because the police are too busy and something has to be done.”
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: “We are investigating the following reports of fake gold being used in exchange for cash.
“A man and a woman entered Church Street Gold to exchange gold for cash. In between the transaction, the suspects exchanged the gold for counterfeits and left the store.
“The man is described as having a large build, black hair shaved to the side, a black goatee and wearing a suit.
“The woman is also of a large build, wore a matching suit, had long, straight dark hair tied back and was wearing white trainers with a red heel.”
Witnesses are asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 396 of June 20. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Sign up here for our flagship daily newsletter and get the latest news straight to your inbox for FREE