On Friday, fifteen works of art were taken from a home near Bruton in Somerset. A woman was tied up during the theft, and wasn’t found until the next day. From the BBC:
[T]he woman suffered bruising and was left “extremely shaken and distressed”.
The robbers took 15 paintings, which included Endymion by George Frederic Watts and Apple Blossom by George Clausen.
They also stole some antiques, a safe containing jewellery and a green Mercedes 220.Det Insp Jim Bigger said: “The size of the some of the items, and amount of property, stolen would suggest that a van or some other fairly sizeable vehicle would have been used.”
This comes soon after the recovery of stolen art in addition to firearms, heroin, marijuana, and cash which were recovered in New Haven. Over at the ARCA blog Noah Charney points out “Even with a relatively small-time crook, such as the local New Haven heroin dealer who had stolen art, guns, and drugs in his home, the connection between art theft and ‘more serious’ crimes is evident.”
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