P.I. hunts budgie killer

[faceless]

Private investigator hunts budgie killer
A private investigator has been enlisted to track down a suspected saboteur responsible for killing a prize-winning budgerigar.
16 Dec 2010
telegraph.co.uk

The birds' owner, Andrew Pooley, 58, returned home on August 20 to discover that two of his prize exhibits, including Penmead Pride, had been killed and 21 others, worth £2,000, stolen. The theft and destruction of the prize-winning budgies took place the night before the Cornwall Budgerigar Show – where Penmead Pride was crowned champion last year – leading to suspicion it may have been carried out by a rival.

Mr Pooley, from Delabole in Cornwall, has sought help from John Hayward, a former Thames Valley Police detective. He announced today that he would offer a reward of around £200 for information leading to the birds' safe return or to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. Mr Pooley said: ''Either somebody hates me a lot and wanted to kill that bird to hurt me or they've accidentally stepped on the birds. 'You can't explain to somebody how you feel. All my life I've been trying to breed a bird like this and I eventually got there. I had two or three like it to be honest, which were stolen and taken away from me and this one (Penmead Pride) was killed. 'I picked it up in my hand and I just couldn't believe that somebody had killed that bird – it's like me losing one of my children.''

Mr Pooley added that concern for the stolen budgerigars' welfare remains high. ''I'm never going to give up trying to find the person that done this. Whatever it takes I'm going to find that person,'' he said. ''All I want him to do is put the birds in cages, phone John and tell us where to go and pick them up. I don't care if it's Scotland, we'll go and pick them up. 'I just want to know what's happened to those birds and I want to know who's done it, because they've got to be stopped.'' Speaking of his devastation he added: ''I don't want anyone else to feel like I'm feeling because I don't think I'm ever going to feel better about it, not now, tomorrow, in five years' time, I can't get back what I had.''

The attack happened between 4pm and 10pm at Mr Pooley's home on Penmead Road, Delabole. Making the appeal alongside Mr Pooley was retired detective Mr Hayward – now Britain's leading private investigator tracing lost and stolen exotic birds.

"All I need is one telephone call to tell me where the birds are, anonymously or otherwise. We want the birds, the birds always come first," Mr Hayward said. "All are top exhibition birds, comprising of two blue and 19 green of various shades." The former Thames Valley Police detective added: "This was not a passing, casual, unplanned crime. Whoever got into that bird house knew exactly which 21 birds of 60-odd to steal. There was either pre-information, preplanning, but whoever entered that flight was able to very quickly – immediate I would suggest – pick off and pick up the 21 destined for the show. The thief is obviously a very knowledgeable person when it comes to the identification of specific birds.

"I can only suggest that this may well be a local crime to Delabole, a local thief possibly living in this area and then hopefully the birds are still in North Cornwall somewhere. We're offering an award of around £200 as a gesture, a sign of good will and a sign of appreciation to the person who has taken the trouble to tell us where they are and based on a principle of about 10%."

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "The crime remains undetected at this time. Officers are hopeful that any further appeals to the public may produce information which would be helpful to the inquiry."

Anyone who may have information is asked to call Mr Hayward's confidential hotline on 01869 325699 or 07802 404929 or contact Devon and Cornwall Police.

------------------------

These small town competitions really get the maniacs going... I remember a story about some 'vegetable slasher' a couple of years back who attacked someone's leeks the week before a big event too. But crushing budgies takes a bit more of a mentalist.