Overview

• Stephen Harris, former operations manager at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, is charged with theft by an employee, money laundering and four counts of fraud by false representation for items allegedly taken between 2005 and 2022.
• Prosecutors allege he sold looted ceramics, glassware and coins through Bonhams, Keys auctioneers and Lockdales, netting about £52,000 as the full value is finalized.
• Harris pleaded not guilty to all charges at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on July 31 and emphatically denies the allegations.
• Magistrates deemed the alleged offences too serious for lower courts and transferred the case to Norwich Crown Court, where his preliminary hearing is set for August 26.
• Norfolk Museums Service has declined to comment on its internal inquiry as the broader investigation into the scope of the thefts continues.