Woman's gratitude as phone with 'sentimental' messages from soldier killed in action returned following Longsight theft

By Mancunian Matters staff

A woman is ‘delighted’ after her phone containing sentimental messages from a soldier killed in action was returned to her after being stolen in Manchester.

The white Blackberry was taken from the woman on Textile Street in Longsight, and contained a voicemail and text messages from a friend who died while serving in Afghanistan.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was left devastated by the theft – which was committed by two men who the police are still looking for.

She said: “I want express my deepest gratitude to the person who returned the phone to me.

“This whole incident has had a significant impact on my life and I continue to encourage anyone with any information to speak to police.”

No arrests have been made but police are continuing to investigate the robbery, and are also examining the phone itself. However, it is not known if the voicemail is still on the phone.

Detective Sergeant Scott Halsall, from the Volume Crime Team at Longsight, said: “The victim is absolutely delighted to have had the phone returned to her and I am keen to identify the person who returned it.

“It is likely they realised it was stolen and thankfully did the right thing and returned it to its rightful owner.”

Both offenders are described as being in their late teens, to early 20s, both with short ‘afro’ hair.

One offender is described as being a light-skinned black man, about 5ft 10in tall, of average build, with a chunky face. The second offender is described as being mixed race with pale skin.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4451, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.