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Larry Fraser Jailed for Stealing £270,000 Banksy Print in London Smash-and-Grab

Flying Squad recovered the signed 2004 Girl with Balloon print within four days of the break-in.

Overview

  • Kingston Crown Court sentenced Fraser, 49, to 13 months after he pleaded guilty to non-residential burglary on November 14.
  • CCTV showed him waiting outside the Grove Gallery on September 8, 2024, then smashing the glass door with a hammer before going straight to the signed print.
  • Met officers arrested him within 48 hours and recovered the artwork undamaged on September 12 during a warrant on the Isle of Dogs, returning it to the gallery.
  • Fraser told the court he acted under pressure to settle a historic drug debt, and the judge said the burglary was too serious for a suspended sentence.
  • Court reporting said he may be eligible for immediate release due to time on electronic curfew, while a previously charged second man was acquitted at trial.