Oil executive offers reward after £40K heirlooms theft

An oil executive and his wife are offering a 'handsome' reward after more than £40,000 of family heirlooms were stolen from their home during a daylight raid.

Thieves targeted family home as couple enjoyed day in the sunshine. Picture: Google

Thieves sneaked into Leo and Elizabeth Koot’s house in Aberdeen’s suburb of Maryculter when they were outside on Sunday.

Treasured watches and necklaces were taken as well as Mrs Koot’s engagement, wedding and eternity rings. But many of the expensive items had belonged to Mrs Koot’s mother who died when she was young.

The couple, who recently moved back to Aberdeen following a stint abroad, only discovered they had been the victims of a theft on Tuesday.

Mrs Koot said: “It was Tuesday morning, I thought, ‘where is my watch?’

“Then I thought ‘oh my God, they took all my jewellery. We just moved back less than a month ago. It was all together in a jewellery bag.

“We were out in the sun for a few hours to enjoy the beautiful weather. They took my wedding ring, my engagement ring, they took my mother’s jewellery.”

The mother-of-one said she felt ill since discovering their family home had been targeted at the weekend.

She added: “I can’t sleep, I have had a headache since we found out. I never thought it would affect me that much. It is not just the worth of it all, it is the emotional robbery.”

Her husband, who is the former managing director of oil firm TAQA Bratani, had just moved back to Scotland with the family after spending several years living in Abu Dhabi.

He is now offering a reward for information which leads to the recovery of the jewellery, which was stolen from their home between 1pm and 6pm on Sunday.

Mr Koot said: “Abu Dhabi is such a secure place. This place used to be safe. I never felt unsafe here. Something has changed. They took a lot of stuff that was very important to us.”

Police believe people travelling along the road outside the couple’s home at the weekend may have noticed suspicious activity.

Investigating officer Terry Woods said: “If you noticed anyone acting suspiciously in the Maryculter area or have any information that could assist the investigation please call Police Scotland.”