Widowed dad appeals for return of wedding rings after Norwich burglary

Gemma Easterbrook died in November and husband Craig planned to give the rings to their children as adults

A widowed father has appealed for the return of his and his wife's wedding rings which were stolen in a burglary.

Gemma Easterbrook died from cancer aged 43 in November and husband Craig planned to give the rings to their children as adults.

They were stolen from her sister Amy's Norwich home in the burglary, which was discovered on Friday.

Mr Easterbrook said: "The value of them in terms of money is small but the value to us is enormous."

They include their wedding rings and Mrs Easterbrook's engagement ring

Mrs Easterbrook's engagement ring was also stolen during the burglary at Unthank Road, Norwich, as first reported by the Eastern Daily Press.

Mr Easterbrook, from Mulbarton, Norfolk, said the rings were "a huge symbol of our marriage and they were something she was very proud of and would talk to the children about".

His sister-in-law had "very kindly said she'd keep the rings in trust".

Mr Easterbrook, 41, said: "Obviously, Amy is blameless in this, but she felt a sense of responsibility and she's very upset to have to tell me because it has been a lot of bad news in the the past five years since Gemma was diagnosed.

"They weren't expensive by wedding ring standards, but they were something that Gemma and I were so proud of and Gemma deliberately chose a design that was practical, that she could wear all the time."

He wanted their children, 11-year-old Florence and Arthur, nine, to "have that physical contact" with the rings.

"When Gemma was diagnosed, Arthur was very young indeed and I'm conscious as they get older they won't have as many memories as I'd like of their mother and a symbol like this can make them feel close to her as they get older," he said.

Mr Easterbrook said the rings were "a huge symbol of our marriage" and would offer their children "physical contact" with memories of their mum

Mr Easterbrook praised the response from the people and communities of Norfolk since the story became public.

He said it would be "life-changing" to have the three rings returned, especially for his children.

A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said the force received a report of a theft on Friday.

She said: "The incident occurred on Unthank Road, Norwich, between 12:00 GMT on 16 February and 11:10 on 23 February when a number of items, including jewellery, were stolen.

"Officers would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident."