BANKSY ART THIEF JAILED AT KINGSTON CROWN COURT
A man who stole a £270,000 Banksy print from a posh London Art Gallery to pay off an old drug debt has been jailed for 13 months at Kingston Crown Court.
Larry Fraser, 48, had broken into the prestigious Grove Gallery in Fitzrovia last September and stole the limited artwork known as ‘Banksy’s Girl with a Balloon.’
The dramatic smash-and-grab was captured on CCTV, showing Fraser using a hammer to smash through the glass doors before entering the gallery on September 8. He concealed his identity with a mask, gloves, and a hooded jacket.
The court heard how Fraser waited outside the gallery for around 10 minutes before repeatedly smashing the glass door to gain access.
When Fraser eventually gained access to the building at around 11pm,he went straight to the artwork, which was signed and numbered.
Judge Anne Brown described the incident as a “brazen and serious non-domestic burglary,” as she sentenced Fraser to 13 months in prison on Friday.
The painting being carried away from the gallery (Met Police)Detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad traced the suspect within hours, following CCTV footage that showed him loading the stolen print into a van before driving off.
Officers tracked him to a nearby street, where he was later identified as Fraser.
He was arrested at his home on Tuesday, 10 September — less than two days after the break-in — and charged the following day.
Police later recovered the artwork during a warrant executed on the Isle of Dogs on Thursday, September 12, after what investigators described as rapid covert enquiries.
The manager of the Grove Gallery praised Met Police officers for their “remarkable” work.
Lindor Mehmetaj, 29, said: “I was completely, completely shocked, but in a very, very positive way when the Flying Squad showed me the actual artwork.
“It’s very hard to put into words, the weight that comes off your shoulders.
“But also, to have the artwork recovered after it had been robbed from us is remarkable.”
Kingston Crown Court heard Fraser, who pleaded guilty to one count of burglary, may be eligible for immediate release due to time spent on electronic curfew.
The court heard Fraser had put forward a basis of plea in which he stated he owed money to others due to a historic drug debt he was struggling to settle and agreed to commit the offence “under a degree of pressure and fear”.
Judge Brown said: “Whilst you did not know the precise value of the print, you obviously understood it to be very valuable.”
She added: “Whilst I am sure there was a high degree of planning, this was not your plan.”
She said the offence was “simply too serious” for a suspended sentence.
The court heard Fraser had 18 previous convictions but the most recent was in 2002, when he was jailed for robbery and unlawful wounding, and he had been “out of trouble” since his release from prison in 2008.
He said it “would take a bold advocate” to suggest that the value of the print had increased by what happened to it, but added: “That is probably the reality.”