Landlords have warned a thief who stole a sentimental ornament from their pub that they will be exposed on camera if they don’t return it.
A model of a golden monkey was snatched from an outdoor cabin in the beer garden of the Rising Sun in Rochester.
The culprit was caught red-handed on CCTV – and now the licensees have threatened to send the footage to Pubwatch – a security scheme which could ban them from every licensed premises in the town.
Years ago the owner of the hostelry in King Street, just off the High Street had a pet monkey called Pablo which was a big hit with children
The ornament was a nod to the pub’s past and was part of the massive refurbishment of the pub when the new owners Billy Dutton and partner Kieran Miguel took over the tenancy in July 2022.
Other items that have gone missing are a portrait of the Queen, which was swiped shortly after her funeral and a painting from the ladies toilet.
Kieran said: “Spending over £350,000 on the refurbishment, to make it a really beautiful place, we added quite a few new additions, like the pool room and the garden cabins.
“One of the big things we paid out for was CCTV, to keep everyone safe.
“So if you were the person who stole one of the golden monkeys from the cabin over the weekend I suggest you bring it back before we send your photo to Pubwatch, and then you will be banned from every pub in Rochester
“It’s such a shame we spend money making the pub nice and people just steal things.
“It’s not really about the value, we put the monkeys in the garden cabin as a nod to previous landlords and we like to remember the past”
Kieran added: ”We are all about community and have always helped other people, we constantly fundraiser for Heart of Kent Hospice, and the missing people charity and we even sponsor the local ice hockey team the Mustangs.
“It’s just very disheartening that people do this. I would probably even buy someone a monkey if they wanted one so much.
“I just hope somebody has it in their heart to bring it back.”
The boozer, just a couple of minutes from the busy town centre, is famed for its live music and quiz nights.
When they opened Billy said they aimed to attract folk music fans who frequented the now-closed Good Intent pub in nearby John Street.
