Art Thieves’ Sentences Cut

Two thieves who stole over £1m worth of artefacts from the Oriental museum in Durham have had their sentences reduced from eight to seven years because they lost the stolen items.

After hiding their loot in a field, Adrian Stanton, 33, and Lee Wildman, 36, forgot its location prompting the museum to recover the items unharmed.

Judges deemed the original sentence “excessive” as the artefacts were returned unscathed. It was only due to the “crass ineptitude” of the persons involved that the items were not lost altogether.

The Walsall pair raided Durham’s Oriental Museum last April by breaking through a brick wall, hiding a porcelain figure and jade bowl in a nearby wasteland.

The hole the pair cut into the Oriental Museum. Photo: PA Wire.

Two days later, a member of the public spotted Wildman searching for the artefacts.

Both men were sentenced to eight years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to burgle at Durham Crown Court last year.

From L-R: Adrian Stanton and Lee Wildman. Credit: PA Wire.

Their lawyers argued that the sentences were too long given that the museum recovered the items safely.

Upon judgement, Mr Justice Williams said “We consider that the recovery of the stolen property was a relevant factor in production of sentence.” Though a well-planned and executed crime, Williams deemed it worth seven years imprisonment.

Wildman will still serve a sentence of eight years however, as he had a one-year suspended sentence activated.