Arrest bid for detectorist who stole £3m Viking gold

A WARRANT has been issued to arrest a metal detectorist convicted of stealing a £3million Viking hoard of gold after he failed to appear in court.

- Adam Dutton

George Powell was part of a duo who failed to declare they had unearthed invaluable coins and other jewellery dating back 1,100 years.

He and fellow treasure hunter Layton Davies tried to cash in by sell- ing the ancient items on the black market after their 2015 discovery.

Powell was due in court after failing to repay £600,000 for his share.

Greedy

This was ordered by a judge when he was jailed for six and a half years in 2019. But a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear for his sentencing hearing at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on January 8.