Man jailed after stealing £270,000 Banksy print to pay off historic drug debt
Man, 49, jailed for stealing limited edition Banksy print
- Larry Fraser, 49, was sentenced to 13 months in prison for stealing a limited edition Banksy print from the Grove Gallery in Fitzrovia, central London, in September last year.
- Fraser broke into the gallery by smashing a glass door and directly targeted a signed and numbered Girl With Balloons print, valued at approximately £270,000.
- He pleaded guilty to burglary, stating he committed the offence under pressure to settle a historic drug debt, claiming he did not know the target or its value until the day.
- The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad swiftly recovered the artwork, which was returned undamaged to the gallery within four days of the theft.
- Judge Anne Brown described the crime as a "brazen and serious non-domestic burglary," noting that while Fraser may not have known the precise value, he understood it to be very valuable.