Banksy print thief sentenced to 13 months in prison. Larry Fraser, a 49-year-old man from east London, broke into an art gallery last September and stole a limited edition Banksy print from his Girl With Balloon series. The crime was committed during the exhibition of a £1.5m collection at the Grove gallery in central London.
The stolen artwork, valued at around £270,000, was recovered just four days after the burglary, thanks to an anonymous tip-off and swift action by police. Fraser had been using the money from the sale of the print to pay off a debt related to his history of drug addiction.
During his sentencing hearing, Judge Brown described the crime as "brazen" and "serious". Despite acknowledging that Fraser did not know the precise value of the artwork, she stated that he must have understood its worth. The judge ruled out the possibility of a suspended sentence, citing the seriousness of the offence and Fraser's extensive criminal record.
Fraser had 18 previous convictions, but it was his most recent conviction in 2002 that led to him being jailed for robbery and unlawful wounding. He has since managed to "break his cycle" of addiction, according to his defence lawyer, Jeffrey Israel. However, the value of the stolen artwork may have increased due to its notoriety as a high-profile target.
Police praised their own team's efforts in quickly recovering the stolen artwork, describing it as a testament to their professionalism and speed. The gallery manager, Lindor Mehmetaj, expressed his gratitude towards the police for restoring the artwork to its rightful owner, adding that it was an "absolute relief" after experiencing the shock of the theft.
Fraser has been sentenced to 13 months in prison, with the possibility of early release due to time spent on electronic curfew.
The stolen artwork, valued at around £270,000, was recovered just four days after the burglary, thanks to an anonymous tip-off and swift action by police. Fraser had been using the money from the sale of the print to pay off a debt related to his history of drug addiction.
During his sentencing hearing, Judge Brown described the crime as "brazen" and "serious". Despite acknowledging that Fraser did not know the precise value of the artwork, she stated that he must have understood its worth. The judge ruled out the possibility of a suspended sentence, citing the seriousness of the offence and Fraser's extensive criminal record.
Fraser had 18 previous convictions, but it was his most recent conviction in 2002 that led to him being jailed for robbery and unlawful wounding. He has since managed to "break his cycle" of addiction, according to his defence lawyer, Jeffrey Israel. However, the value of the stolen artwork may have increased due to its notoriety as a high-profile target.
Police praised their own team's efforts in quickly recovering the stolen artwork, describing it as a testament to their professionalism and speed. The gallery manager, Lindor Mehmetaj, expressed his gratitude towards the police for restoring the artwork to its rightful owner, adding that it was an "absolute relief" after experiencing the shock of the theft.
Fraser has been sentenced to 13 months in prison, with the possibility of early release due to time spent on electronic curfew.
, man... 13 months for that? I mean, I get it, he's got a history and all, but £270k? That's just ridiculous 
! Back in my day, we didn't need to have fancy lawyers or police to solve crimes. We just figured 'em out ourselves, like when I used to sneak into the arcade after school 
. And now, everyone's got cameras everywhere, it's like they're watching you 24/7 
. I mean, what's the point of having all that tech if we're just gonna use it to lock people up for a few grand? It's just not right 
.
banksy's work is iconic and its theft feels like a crime against art itself lol i mean im all for people getting justice but 13 months is kinda low considering hes got 18 previous convictions 
and he stole that super rare Banksy print from some gallery in London last Sep. And get this, the police recovered it like FOUR DAYS LATER thanks to an anonymous tip-off 
. The judge was all like "brazen" and "serious" during sentencing, which I guess is true lol. He's got a history of addiction and 18 previous convictions, so yeah he didn't exactly cover his tracks well. The gallery manager was super grateful that the artwork was recovered, can't imagine how stressful that must've been for him 
. Anyway, Fraser gets 13 months in prison which might be a bit steep considering he's trying to kick his addiction habit 
. Guess you could say justice is served 
i mean, i get that he committed a serious crime but you'd think the authorities could've done more to help him out, considering his history of addiction 
maybe they just didn't see an opportunity for rehabilitation? and another thing, wouldn't the value of the print go up now that it's been in the news as a stolen high-profile piece? like, who even is buying these things anymore at this point? 
. and what's with all these 18 previous convictions? shouldn't he have learned his lesson by now? 
I mean, £270,000 is a pretty penny, but it's not like Fraser was stealing from some innocent soul or a charity auction. He took something that didn't belong to him, but he was struggling with his own demons... addiction, debt, the feeling of being trapped. It's easy to see it as just a petty crime, but what does it say about our society when people feel they have no other choice but to resort to such measures? Is it really 13 months in prison that will change him? 
and gets sentenced to 13 months in prison which is pretty harsh I think considering it was a single steal 
but on the flip side the police did an amazing job of recovering the artwork like just 4 days after its stolen and that's some next level detective work 
their professionalism is indeed top-notch... and gallery manager sounds super grateful 
i just wish there was more support for people struggling with addiction, not just punishing them for their mistakes 
. BUT SERIOUSLY, 13 MONTHS IS A GOOD SENTENCE FOR THIS - HE'S GOT TO PAY FOR HIS CRIME 
I just can't even right now! This guy's got some serious skills, stealing a £270k Banksy print and getting caught within four days? 
. But still, frustrating that the guy who stole it is getting relatively light punishment...
. I mean, 13 months in prison isn't too harsh, but still, someone's gotta be held accountable for that brazen move 
.
! Now Fraser's gotta face the consequences of his actions and take responsibility for his mistakes. I'm glad justice has been served and the gallery can move on from this shocking incident 
But still, can't believe this guy's history of addiction & stuff led him to commit such a crime. Maybe he shoulda gotten some help instead of goin' straight for the loot 
. I guess you could say justice really did prevail in this case 
. Guess that's why they call it a 'cycle' of addiction, right? Anyway, at least the police did their job and got the artwork back