Thief is jailed for stealing Banksy art to repay drug debt

LIMITED EDITION PRINT TAKEN FROM GALLERY

- By ELEANOR BARLOW Local democracy reporter

A CCTV photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Larry Fraser as he carries away a Banksy print he stole from a London gallery

(METROPOLITAN POLICE/PA)

A MAN who stole a Banksy print from an art gallery to pay off a historic drug debt has been given a 13-month prison sentence.

Larry Fraser, 49, stole the limited edition print belonging to the street artist's Girl With Balloon series after breaking into the Grove Gallery, in Fitzrovia, last September.

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Anne Brown said: “This is a brazen and serious non-domestic burglary.”

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 artwork had been part of an exhibition showcasing a £1.5 million collection of 13 Banksy pieces at the gallery and was quickly recovered by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad.