Stolen Lord of the Rings books sold by Worcester charity after return

The books have been sold to a businessman after he said he saw the BBC coverage of the theft and return

First-edition copies of The Lord of The Rings novels that were stolen and then returned to a charity shop have been sold.

The books were taken on 19 December from a locked display cabinet in the St Richard's Hospice store in Worcester.

They were then found on a shelf in the store 10 days later while staff were tidying up.

The books sold for £1,495 and Dan Corns, from the hospice, said staff were "thrilled" at the sale.

Martin Clark, a businessman based in Saudi Arabia with family in the UK, said he bought the books after seeing the reports of the theft and mysterious return.

"Having seen the BBC coverage on the loss and return of the books, I thought that here's a set which has a bit of a story behind it," he said.

The charity said the books were taken from a locked cabinet at the store

The hospice said the editions of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King were first editions, but not first printings.

The sale has been called a "happy ending to the tale" by Mr Corns, who added it was the first one of the year at the St Swithins Street charity shop.

St Richard's Hospice annually supports 2,900 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire, with running costs of £8.75m over the last financial year.