East Sussex man arrested following theft of rare £30k Pokémon card

A company in Heathfield that judges the value of Pokémon cards contacted Sussex Police to say a card they’d sent had not returned to its owner in Essex.

It was then discovered that the same item – a valuable ‘Charizard’ card worth up to £30,000 – was spotted being sold on Facebook.

Following an investigation by Sussex Police, a 23-year-old man from Polegate was identified as a suspect and arrested at his address on October 27, on suspicion of theft.

A spokesperson for the force said: “A search order was authorised on his property and officers found the rare card inside.

“After a voluntary interview, the suspect admitted to stealing the card and showed remorse for his actions. The rare card, valued between £20,000 and £30,000, was returned to its owner.

“The suspect was interviewed and admitted to stealing the card and received a caution.

“The theft is believed to have taken place between September 2 – 5 in Heathfield.”

A video appointment with the Heathfield company was made on the day of the report, which led to the ‘swift investigation and arrest of the suspect’, according to Sussex Police.

Police Constable Alan Russell, the officer who handled the initial investigation, said: “We identified a line of enquiry quickly and were able act quickly.

“It was a valuable item which meant a lot to the victim who had it stolen.

“The victim is happy that his card was returned and our teams worked really well together to solve this case.”