Leonardo da Vinci police operation praised
Prosecutors have praised an undercover police operation which led to five men being charged with conspiring to extort £4.25m for a painting's safe return.
In his closing speech, advocate depute Simon Di Rollo QC said the officers were "brave and honourable men".
He claimed the accused had not simply sought a reward for returning Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder and compared their actions to a kidnap.
All five men deny the charges against them at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Mr Di Rollo said police had "turned the tables" on the accused.
He said one of the first moves of the men on trial had been to produce a video showing the valuable painting alongside a copy of a newspaper.
"This is a hallmark of kidnapping and extortion," he said.
Art experts
He added that the so-called "proof of life" video would not be needed to claim a reward unless there was an extortionate demand for money up front.
During six weeks of evidence, the trial has heard how an approach was made to a loss adjuster about the painting - insured for £15m when it was taken from from the Duke of Buccleuch's Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire in August 2003.
Discussions then followed but the negotiators, who the alleged plotters thought were art experts working for the duke, were actually undercover detectives.
On trial are solicitor Marshall Ronald, 53, private investigators Robert Graham, 57, and John Doyle, 61, all from Lancashire, along with solicitors Calum Jones, 45, of Renfrewshire, and David Boyce, 63, of Lanarkshire.
They deny conspiring to extort pounds £4.25m between July and October 2007. An alternative charge of attempting to extort the money has been dropped.
The trial continues.
2 comments:
Brave and honorable men how dare the Crown make such an assertion.
Dalrymple was instructed that ANY contacts were to be referred directly to the police and that is what he did
The police undercover ruse from the outset was a simple pretence that they acted for the Duke of Buccleuch who wished to proceed by way of a buyback because he was dissatisfied with Mark Dalrymple and the insurance approach of offering a reward.
A buy back is a private issue between the owner and those able to return the painting; the owner would commit no unlawful act in Scotland if he chooses to pay money to the thieves
The Crown submission is misguided in that it seems to think this is a reward situation, which it clearly never was
This was not an intelligence police led operation. The police responded to a letter offering to return the painting and asking for a meeting.
Had they stopped playing Rambo the painting would have been successfully returned before the Duke died and that is a matter that they should hang their heads in shame in respect of
It will be fascinating to see the defence analysis of the facts
STV Reported
A sting operation which led to the arrest of three lawyers and two private detectives allegedly involved in a multi-million pound ransom to return a stolen painting was praised in court.
In his closing speech to a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh, advocate-depute Simon Di Rollo QC, prosecuting, claimed that undercover cops had "turned the tables".
He told the jury: "They are brave and honourable men doing an extremely difficult job extremely well."
Mr Di Rollo said the five men on trial were not simply seeking a reward for helping get the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece Madonna of the Yarnwinder back to the Duke of Buccleuch's family. He compared their actions to a kidnapping.
One of the first moves had been to produce a video showing the valuable painting alongside a copy of a newspaper.
"This is a hallmark of kidnapping and extortion," said Mr Di Rollo.
He said the so-called "proof of life" video would not be needed unless there was an extortionate demand for money up front. It would not be needed to claim a reward.
Mr Di Rollo told the jury: "When a valuable work of art is stolen the only practical way for criminals to benefit is to extort a ransom from the owner or insurers and that that is exactly what was going on here, in my submission."
The five men on trial had agreed to make "illegitimate demands."
But the prosecutor continued: "Thanks to valiant and extremely intelligent police work, the painting was recovered and some of those involved in the conspiracy to ransom this painting were arrested."
He asked the jury to convict them.
During six weeks of evidence the trial has heard how an approach was made to a loss adjuster about the Leonardo da Vinci painting - insured for £15million when it was snatched from the wall of the Duke of Buccleuch's stately home at Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire in August 2003.
The court heard discussions followed but the negotiators the alleged plotters thought were art experts working for the Duke of Buccleuch were really undercover detectives.
The pretence continued with their mock "arrest" when police stormed the Glasgow offices of law firm HBJ Gately Wareing in October 2007 and seized the painting from the boardroom table.
On trial are solicitor Marshall Ronald, 53, of Highmeadow, Ravenscroft, Upholland, Skelmersdale; private investigator Robert Graham, 57, of Gawhill Lane, Aughton, Ormskirk, Lancashire, his private eye partner John Doyle, 61, of Summerwood Lane, Halsall, Ormskirk, Lancashire; solicitor Calum Jones, 45, of Kepstorn, Knockbuckle Road, Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, and solicitor David Boyce, 63, of Clark Street, Airdrie, Lanarkshire.
They deny conspiring to extort £4.25million between July and October 2007. An alternative charge of attempting to extort the money was dropped.
How desperate does the Crown sound in this rancid prosecution?
Five men have seen charges of robbery, threatening to kill Alison Renwick, conspiracy to extort, attempted conspiracy to extort and defeating the ends of justice reduced over a two and half year period to one charge of conspiracy to extort
How desperate are the Crown to procure a conviction in this case and what is the true motivation behind their actions
This case has nothing to do with a reward scenario
If these five men are found not guilty then it is intriguing to contemplate what the civil courts will make of the parties actions
In civil proceedings the tool of discovery will flush out what really happened behind the scenes
Brave and honourable men
An intelligence led operation
These assertions may well come to haunt Mickey Dalglish and the Crown
If the authorities know where the £350k went then shame on them
If they do not then shame on them
We will see in due course
You cannot suppress the truth no matter what
The police have a duty to act within the law
In this case questions have been raised as to whether they did so
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