Gnome thief 'should never reveal all', says victim

The Merseyside town Formby was the scene of a spate of notorious garden gnome thefts

The victim of a notorious spate of garden gnome thefts nearly 50 years ago has said the man who confessed to being the culprit should "stay in the shadows" and never reveal his full identity.

Gary Tinnion described the 1976 "abduction" of his ornament, Fred, and how the Merseyside town of Formby was affected by a series of menacing ransom notes that followed.

On Tuesday, the man behind the infamous "gnome-nappings" revealed he had decided to confess, live on BBC Radio 2's Vernon Kay show.

Now aged 62, Arthur, who chose not to reveal his full name, admitted he and his then five-year-old brother Colin had masterminded the thefts - before keeping the crimes a secret for five decades.

The figures' disappearance generated national headlines at the time, including a feature by the BBC's current affairs television programme Nationwide.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, victim Mr Tinnon said: "I remember everything vividly.

"It was like a Monty Python sketch and when TV crews came to do filming, a big toadstool turned up with a man dressed as a gnome sitting on top, as if he was a secret policeman."

'Like Monty Python'

Mr Tinnion, who now lives in Gibraltar, said he believed his father's gardening nous might initially have foiled Arthur's plans.

"My dad was a typical Scouse dad and had cemented Fred to the wall so when they did try to steal it, they broke his leg and foot off," he said.

"We'd got these ransom notes but nothing happened, so we thought it was a joke.

"And then a couple nights later Fred just came back."

Victim Gary Tinnion said the saga was "like a Monty Python sketch"

When asked if Arthur had reached out to Mr Tinnion after coming forward, he said: "We haven't been in touch, but the poor guy's been carrying the guilt all these years.

"I think he'll want to be anonymous.

"He should stay in the shadows as the longest running, funniest theft in Formby history."