A man who stole a Banksy print from a London art gallery to pay off a drug debt has been sentenced to 13 months in prison. Larry Fraser, 49, of Beckton, east London, pleaded guilty to burglary at Kingston Crown Court on Friday.
The court heard that Fraser broke into the Grove gallery in Fitzrovia, central London, on 8 September last year. CCTV footage showed him waiting outside for about 10 minutes before smashing the glass door with a heavy blunt object. He then took a signed and numbered print from Banksy's Girl With Balloon series, valued at approximately £270,000.
Prosecutor Philip Stott said Fraser was taken to a location in London Docklands where the artwork was hidden. It was recovered on 12 September after a third party passed information to police. The print was returned undamaged.
Fraser told the court he owed money due to a historical drug debt and committed the offence under pressure. He said he did not know the target or the value of the print until the day of the burglary. Judge Brown noted that while Fraser did not know the precise value, he understood it to be very valuable. She described the crime as a “brazen and serious non-domestic burglary” and said it was too serious for a suspended sentence.
The court heard Fraser had 18 previous convictions, but his most recent was in 2002 for robbery and unlawful wounding. He had been out of trouble since his release from prison in 2008 and lived with his mother as her carer. His lawyer said Fraser had broken his cycle of drug addiction after his last sentence.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather of the Met's flying squad praised the swift recovery of the artwork, which took just four days. The gallery manager, Lindor Mehmetaj, expressed shock and gratitude, saying the weight lifted off his shoulders was indescribable.
