This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/01/gang-antiquities-chinese-market-fitzwilliam-oriental-museum

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Gang may have stolen antiquities for Chinese market, says expert Gang may have stolen antiquities for Chinese market, says expert
(35 minutes later)
An organised crime gang convicted of plotting audacious raids on museums and auction houses to steal rhino horn and artefacts worth up to £57m may have had specific Chinese buyers waiting for the goods, an antiquities expert has said.An organised crime gang convicted of plotting audacious raids on museums and auction houses to steal rhino horn and artefacts worth up to £57m may have had specific Chinese buyers waiting for the goods, an antiquities expert has said.
Fourteen men have been convicted of thefts and attempted plots, including break-ins at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Durham’s Oriental Museum in 2012, with the gang stealing items more valuable than this year’s Hatton Garden raid haul, according to police.Fourteen men have been convicted of thefts and attempted plots, including break-ins at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Durham’s Oriental Museum in 2012, with the gang stealing items more valuable than this year’s Hatton Garden raid haul, according to police.
On Monday, a jury at Birmingham crown court convicted the final four of the so-called Rathkeale Rovers gang’s generals who had overseen the thefts, John “Kerry” O’Brien Jr, Richard “Kerry” O’Brien, Daniel “Turkey” O’Brien and Michael Hegarty.On Monday, a jury at Birmingham crown court convicted the final four of the so-called Rathkeale Rovers gang’s generals who had overseen the thefts, John “Kerry” O’Brien Jr, Richard “Kerry” O’Brien, Daniel “Turkey” O’Brien and Michael Hegarty.
Some private buyers in China may have little concern for where the treasure they purchase has come from, according to Dr Donna Yates, lecturer in looting and trafficking of antiquities and cultural property at the University of Glasgow.Some private buyers in China may have little concern for where the treasure they purchase has come from, according to Dr Donna Yates, lecturer in looting and trafficking of antiquities and cultural property at the University of Glasgow.
“In this case, it’s one of few cases where it is very clear they did have a resale market for it,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “So looking at what this gang targeted, which was rhinoceros horn, and small, portable but very valuable Chinese antiquities, they had a clear market for these items in China.”“In this case, it’s one of few cases where it is very clear they did have a resale market for it,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “So looking at what this gang targeted, which was rhinoceros horn, and small, portable but very valuable Chinese antiquities, they had a clear market for these items in China.”
Yates said the market for Chinese antiquities being sold back to China from Europe was huge. “The legitimate antiquities market sees a lot of Chinese buying of Chinese material that has come to Europe and is going back, but presumably these items are desirable by collectors who don’t expect to have anybody checking up on them,” she said.Yates said the market for Chinese antiquities being sold back to China from Europe was huge. “The legitimate antiquities market sees a lot of Chinese buying of Chinese material that has come to Europe and is going back, but presumably these items are desirable by collectors who don’t expect to have anybody checking up on them,” she said.
Among the 14 convicted was Donald Chi Chong Wong, a London-based “fence” with close links to Hong Kong. The court was told police twice found him with thousands of pounds in cash stuffed in plastic bags.Among the 14 convicted was Donald Chi Chong Wong, a London-based “fence” with close links to Hong Kong. The court was told police twice found him with thousands of pounds in cash stuffed in plastic bags.
Yates called the four men convicted on Monday “organised, focused and they seem to be the top rung of the organisation ... these are very motivated criminals”.Yates called the four men convicted on Monday “organised, focused and they seem to be the top rung of the organisation ... these are very motivated criminals”.
The gang’s criminal careers had been marred by a series of almost comical mishaps, police revealed on Monday, including one incident described in court as “a fiasco” in which four offenders, hired by the gang’s ringleaders, dropped a rhino head as they attempt to leave the Castle Museum in Norwich, having apparently failed to appreciate that the head would be too heavy to carry.The gang’s criminal careers had been marred by a series of almost comical mishaps, police revealed on Monday, including one incident described in court as “a fiasco” in which four offenders, hired by the gang’s ringleaders, dropped a rhino head as they attempt to leave the Castle Museum in Norwich, having apparently failed to appreciate that the head would be too heavy to carry.
In April 2012, a jade bowl worth at least £2m and a figurine were stolen from Durham’s Oriental Museum and left at a pre-agreed “deposition site”, which members of the gang then forgot to mark on a map and so lost the items.In April 2012, a jade bowl worth at least £2m and a figurine were stolen from Durham’s Oriental Museum and left at a pre-agreed “deposition site”, which members of the gang then forgot to mark on a map and so lost the items.
However, that same month, four hired burglars successfully stole more than a dozen jade pieces worth at least £15m from the Fitzwilliam Museum, and though they were later arrested the stolen items have never been recovered.However, that same month, four hired burglars successfully stole more than a dozen jade pieces worth at least £15m from the Fitzwilliam Museum, and though they were later arrested the stolen items have never been recovered.
DCI Jim McCrorie, of Cambridgeshire police, said the items lost from the Fitzwilliam were “of huge cultural significance”. He said: “We remain committed to following any new lines of inquiry that could lead to their recovery.” DCI Jim McCrorie, of Cambridgeshire police, said the items lost from the Fitzwilliam were of huge cultural significance. He added: “We remain committed to following any new lines of inquiry that could lead to their recovery.”