A brazen thief has been caught on camera breaking into the West Sussex castle of former I'm A Celebrity star Lady Colin Campbell and stealing one of her children's Christmas presents.
CCTV Captures Audacious Castle Intrusion
The socialite and royal author, 76, has released shocking CCTV footage of the incident and is offering a £500 reward for information leading to the burglar's identification. The theft occurred at her historic home, Grade I Listed Castle Goring, near Worthing.
The video shows the property's large front door being opened from the outside. A bearded man, dressed in what appears to be white jeans and a white jacket, enters the porch area. He is seen using a torch before bending down to pick up an item from the floor.
Lady C's Frustration with Police Response
In a social media post featuring the footage, Lady C explained the situation. "We've had somebody come to the castle and brazenly steal Misha's Christmas present, or one of his Christmas presents, to Dima," she stated while seated in her home.
She expressed deep frustration with the police, stating she is "not even wasting my time with the police because they're a dead loss." Instead, she promises the reward for anyone who provides the thief's name, address, or contact details.
"I will undertake a private prosecution if the police, when I turn the thief over to them, decide they're not going to act... which, nine times out of ten nowadays in this country, they do. Absolutely outrageous," she added.
Parcel Theft Epidemic Hits Celebrity Enclave
The burglary highlights a growing national issue. Recent research revealed that over £600 million worth of parcels ordered by Britons were stolen in the last year, a surge attributed to so-called 'porch pirates'.
Almost five million households fell victim in a 12-month period, marking a roughly 31% year-on-year increase. The average value of a stolen parcel has now risen to £138.
Castle Goring is situated just off the A27 north of Worthing, a seaside resort long popular with celebrities. The area has been home to figures like Harold Pinter and was where Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest.
Lady C, who starred in the 2015 series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, has spent a fortune restoring Castle Goring and now operates it as a wedding venue. This incident has sharply disrupted the peaceful rural existence she had cultivated.
