"PA Media A builder accused of stealing a Banksy print has told a court he wanted to add it to his existing collection of artwork featuring love hearts. Girl with Balloon, valued at 270,000, was taken from the Grove Gallery in central London in September last year. James Love, 54, who hid the work after another man had smashed through the door of the gallery, wanted the Banksy "on his walls", jurors were told."
"The limited edition print was recovered by the Met Police when Mr Love told them where to find it. PA Media Kingston Crown Court heard the other man, 48-year-old Larry Fraser, had already pleaded guilty to burglary. Prosecution barrister Philip Stott said Mr Love was a "relatively successful builder" whereas Fraser was "impoverished" and only had 1.75 in his bank account the day before the theft."
"On the evening the Banksy was taken, the mobile phones of both men were being used in the vicinity of the gallery, the jury was told, and Fraser is said to have called Mr Love minutes after smashing the gallery doors and taking the painting. After leaving the gallery, Fraser took the print into a nearby property where he left the artwork and changed his top, the trial heard."
James Love, 54, is accused of taking the Banksy print Girl with Balloon from the Grove Gallery in central London in September. The limited edition work, valued at £270,000, was hidden after another man smashed through the gallery door. Larry Fraser, 48, has pleaded guilty to burglary; prosecutors say Fraser phoned Love minutes after removing the painting and mobile data placed both men near the gallery. The Met Police recovered the print after Love told them where to find it. Prosecutors highlighted Love's collection of love-heart pictures at home and a £200 transfer to Fraser on the day of the offence.
Read at www.bbc.com
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