Man denies stealing items from Museum of East Anglian Life

A man accused of stripping almost £22,000 worth of artefacts from the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket is to stand trial next year.

Paul Cope, 56, appeared today at Ipswich Crown Court where he pleaded not guilty to one charge of burglary and one charge of theft.

It is alleged that Cope, of Cotswold Gardens, Hutton, near Brentwood, broke into the 75-acre museum site during the last weekend of January and stole 135 items from inside buildings.

The museum said that among the stolen artefacts were white porcelain jars from the former Stearns Chemists in Stowmarket and hats and ties from Ransons tailors in Lavenham.

Some of the stolen items are described as irreplaceable and in total are said to be worth £21,978.

Cope will continue to be granted bail until his trial, expected to last for two days, takes place in March.