London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Police have arrested after premium cheese valued at £300,000 was robbed from an upmarket London dairy.
Metropolitan Police investigators apprehended a 63-year-old man on suspicion of deception by false representation and handling looted goods in link with the theft of 22 tonnes of cheddar from Neal’s Yard Dairy. A spokesman for the force expressed the man was interviewed at a police station and later bailed.
What is known about the Metropolitan Police investigation?
A spokesman for the Met stated: “On Monday, Oct 21, police received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Investigating officers have since arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods. The man was taken to a south London police station, where he was interviewed. He has since been bailed pending further enquiries. Enquiries remain ongoing.”
How did thieves manage to steal £300,000 in cheese?
The London cheesemonger had wrongly sent 950 cloth-bound wheels of cheese to the fraudsters last month and this month after being tricked into believing they were a legitimate wholesale distributor. A source at Neal’s Yard, which was established in 1979 to champion British and Irish cheese, told The Times: “It’s brilliant news, and hopefully it leads to a good result. We just want to get back to selling great cheese to people.”
The company disbursed the producers of the cheeses – Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar, Westcombe Cheddar, and Pitchfork Cheddar – despite “the significant financial blow” to its balance sheet.
How are cheese producers affected by the stolen stock?
Patrick Holden, who holds the farm on which Hafod Cheddar is produced, stated: “It might sound naive to fall victim to a fraud, but the truth is that the artisan cheese world is a place where trust is deeply embedded in all transactions.”
Tom Calver, a director of Westcombe Dairy, commented: “We’re overwhelmed that this fraud has targeted one of our most treasured customers. Neal’s Yard Dairy is an absolute champion of British farmhouse cheese, and the fact is that they continued to put us, their supplier, first by ensuring that we were paid for the cheese, even in the darkest of times.”