A PAIR of life-size Laurel and Hardy statues have been found by cops a year after they were stolen.
The 6ft fibreglass Stan and Ollie models — nicked by masked thieves from outside a home last July — were hidden under tarpaulin in a garage.
A pair of life-size Laurel and Hardy statues have been found by cops a year after they were stolen[/caption]
Lesley Haylett, 62, bought the statues 40 years ago for her partner Peter, 72[/caption]
Officers discovered them while investigating another crime and Sgt Richard Ruane and PCSO Natalie Parrott have now reunited them with their owners.
Lesley Haylett, 62, bought the statues 40 years ago for her partner Peter, 72, and the couple decorate them at Christmas every year to raise money for charity.
They were stolen while Peter was in hospital for a bone marrow transplant.
A £10,000 reward was offered by local businessman Dean Floyd for information leading to their return.
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But despite the crooks also being filmed in the act on CCTV, there were no leads.
Lesley, of Harold Hill, East London, told The Sun: “We are overwhelmed to have the boys back.
“When I got a call from a PC to say she was standing with them and asked for a description I could not believe it.”
It is the fourth time the statues of the Hollywood comedy greats have been stolen. They went missing in 2015 for three years.
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Lesley continued: “Thanks to the quick-thinking Havering officers they are back home and sunbathing in the garden.
“They need a little bit of TLC but will soon be out the front of the house where they belong — this time well cemented into the ground.”