A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for stealing a limited edition Banksy print from an art gallery in London. The artwork, valued at around £270,000, was part of an exhibition featuring a £1.5m collection of Banksy pieces.
The defendant, Larry Fraser, broke into the Grove gallery in central London last September and smashed the glass door with a blunt object before stealing the print. He was seen on CCTV waiting outside the gallery for about 10 minutes before committing the crime.
Fraser had put forward a plea stating that he owed money to others due to a historical drug debt and agreed to commit the offence "under a degree of pressure and fear." The court heard that Fraser did not know the value of the print, but understood it was very valuable.
Judge Brown described the offence as "simply too serious" for a suspended sentence, citing Fraser's extensive criminal history. Despite this, Fraser had managed to break his cycle of drug addiction after his last prison sentence and would be eligible for early release due to time spent on electronic curfew.
The artwork was recovered just four days after it went missing, thanks to the quick action of police officers from the Metropolitan flying squad. The gallery's manager, Lindor Mehmetaj, described being "shocked but positive" when he saw the recovered artwork and praised the professionalism and composure of the police officers involved.
Fraser's accomplice, James Love, was cleared of stealing the print after a trial in which he was accused of being the getaway driver.
The defendant, Larry Fraser, broke into the Grove gallery in central London last September and smashed the glass door with a blunt object before stealing the print. He was seen on CCTV waiting outside the gallery for about 10 minutes before committing the crime.
Fraser had put forward a plea stating that he owed money to others due to a historical drug debt and agreed to commit the offence "under a degree of pressure and fear." The court heard that Fraser did not know the value of the print, but understood it was very valuable.
Judge Brown described the offence as "simply too serious" for a suspended sentence, citing Fraser's extensive criminal history. Despite this, Fraser had managed to break his cycle of drug addiction after his last prison sentence and would be eligible for early release due to time spent on electronic curfew.
The artwork was recovered just four days after it went missing, thanks to the quick action of police officers from the Metropolitan flying squad. The gallery's manager, Lindor Mehmetaj, described being "shocked but positive" when he saw the recovered artwork and praised the professionalism and composure of the police officers involved.
Fraser's accomplice, James Love, was cleared of stealing the print after a trial in which he was accused of being the getaway driver.
13 months is like nothing for a crime that serious! I mean sure he had some issues with addiction and all but stealing from an art gallery is just wrong, you feel? I don't care if it was under pressure or whatever, the fact is he broke into a secure building and took something that doesn't belong to him. And yeah I know the police were great and all but come on, they got lucky that the artwork turned up after four days 
maybe next time it won't be so easy for them to find?
. I mean, Fraser was open about struggling with a historical drug debt and was actually making progress since his last stint behind bars. You'd think the court would take that into consideration and maybe offer some kind of rehabilitation or community service instead of throwing him in the slammer.
. I'm not saying it's not valuable or anything, but there are people struggling with poverty and homelessness right now that could really use that kind of money. It just seems like a lot of resources being thrown at one guy who made a mistake.
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. Like, what's next? Stealing a limited edition iPhone from an Apple store back in 2007 and expecting to get off scot-free? In my day, we didn't break into galleries for fancy art pieces. We just enjoyed the street art scene at Camden Market or something.
. But at the same time, I can understand why the judge wanted to send a message – it's a serious crime, after all.
. Back in my day, we could buy an entire block of flats for that price. Anyway, I guess that's just the times we live in now, and I'm not sure I agree with it 
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. I mean, he broke into a gallery and stole a valuable piece, yeah no doubt about that 
. But at the same time, 13 months seems kinda excessive 
. I mean, who needs rehab when you can just swipe some art, right? 
Guess the judge was all about sending a "message" rather than giving Fraser a second chance... or maybe it's just easier to lock him up and forget about the whole thing 
.
You'd think he could've just talked to someone about his debt or looked for a way to pay it back himself. But then again, we all make mistakes, and some people do change their ways... I'm glad that Larry seems like he's made progress with getting help for his addiction 
, but still, 13 months in prison feels like a bit of an overkill 
.
... I mean, I know breaking into an art gallery and stealing a limited edition Banksy print is not cool, but come on, £270k is a lot of dosh! 
! But, honestly, it just feels like this whole thing was a bit too intense... I mean, who gets caught up in stealing art and then has to do 13 months for it? 
anyway, i'm glad the police were able to recover it quickly! that grove gallery must've been super stressed out when the print went missing 
. But then again, that's no excuse for breaking into a gallery and stealing priceless art - it's still a serious offence.
. The whole thing was like a well-oiled machine, with everyone working together to bring Fraser to justice. And in the end, Fraser got his comeuppance - 13 months in prison isn't too harsh for someone who's clearly struggling.
. Like Fraser did after his last stint in prison - it's a testament to the human spirit, you know? Maybe he'll use this time to get his life back on track and leave the whole "desperate" thing behind 
.
it's like, insane! we're always talkin about reforming the system and stuff, but some stats say that 80% of prisoners are reoffending within a year... 
13 months is actually kinda low for someone with his history, imo 
the police were pretty fast in recoverin that Banksy print, btw!