Stolen Art Watch, Beware, Fitzwilliam Jade Reward Fool's Gold Without Consulting Art Hostage

'Substantial' reward offered in hunt for stolen Fitzwilliam Museum treasures

 A “substantial reward” has been put up to recover £15 million of Chinese artefacts stolen from Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum.

The “valuable and culturally significant” treasure was plundered from the Trumpington Road museum in April.
The 18 mainly jade items were taken by three men and a 16-year-old boy who were sentenced last week.
But police still do not know where the stolen items are.
Chief Constable Simon Parr told the News that finding them would be “the icing on the cake” after he praised officers for the investigation.
He said: “It was a good investigation and I am pleased the sentences reflected the seriousness of the offence. We have not yet found the stolen items which have huge cultural significance but our investigations continue.
“It was a good result and finding the artefacts would be the icing on the cake.”
Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd has placed a full-page advert in Antiques Trade Gazette on behalf of the museum in an effort to alert dealers to the theft.
The advertisement does not state how much the reward is but it can be negotiated.
The items, dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, include a jade 16th Century carved buffalo, a carved horse from the 17th Century and a green and brown jade carved elephant.
A museum spokesman said: “We see the advertisement as part of the second stage of the investigation, entailing the return of all 18 stolen jades to the museum.”
A 17th Century jade horse from the Ming dynasty was one of 18 items taken by the thieves.
Last week, Steven Coughlan, 25, of Gypsies Residential Site, in Eleanor Street, Bow, east London, Robert Smith, 24, of Rosedale Stables, Swanley, Kent, and a 29-year-old man from London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were each jailed for six years for conspiracy to burgle.
Marvin Simos, 16, of Hanameel Street, Victoria Dock, London, was sentenced to a four-month detention and training order after admitting burglary. He was 15 years old at the time of the raid.
None of the valuable art has been recovered despite worldwide police forces being alerted, as the News reported.
The gang smashed their way into the museum on Friday, April 13 but CCTV checks identified four people heading towards the rear of the museum shortly before the raid at about 7.30pm.
Four people were then seen carrying bags from the museum before heading off in a van which had been stolen on Saturday, April 7, at 8.40am from Ellesmere Street, Tower Hamlets, London.
DNA checks from the scene later identified the 15-year-old boy as one of the offenders.
Art Hostage Comments:

Anyone attempting to claim this so-called reward without consulting Art Hostage, will, I repeat will, be arrested and charged with handling stolen property, as well as not getting, repeat, not getting any of this Fool''s Gold reward. However, with the guidance of Art Hostage the possibility of being paid a fee for information that leads exclusively to the recovery of the Fitzwilliam Jade will be paid and if that is not possible Art Hostage will reveal this before anyone allows themselves to be lured into false sense of security.
Art Hostage has a motto:

"If in doubt, leave it out, walk away, live to fight another day"

Update:

Art Hostage says: The reward is bogus, false and designed to lure people with information in, so when they inquire about the amount, and then ask for an amount, before offering the information, Police, Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd and Insurers can arrest them, and under threat of criminal charges, using the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act.

Then they will make the person with the information reveal what information they have. Once the crucial information is obtained by Police,Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd and authorities, they will recover the Jade and refuse to pay out the person who gave them the crucial information.

However, Art Hostage can make sure these pitfalls are avoided and a fee would be payable, not a reward, a fee, for exclusively giving information that leads to the exclusive recovery of the Fitzwilliam Jade, no arrests, no false reward promises.

Art Hostage would also make sure those with information are protected from scrutiny and warn well before they reveal anything if a fee cannot be negotiated.

Finally, any call to Clement Doherty Adjusters Ltd will be passed directly to Police immediately, forthwith and the Pre-planned undercover operation will swing into action.