A contractor accused of pilfering a Banksy print aimed to incorporate it into his existing assortment of love heart-themed artwork, a court has been informed.
The print titled “Girl with Balloon,” appraised at £270,000, was taken from the Grove Gallery in central London in September of the previous year.
James Love, 54, who concealed the artwork after an accomplice smashed the gallery’s door, expressed a desire to display the Banksy piece “on his walls,” the jury was told.
The limited edition print was located by the Metropolitan Police following Mr. Love’s guidance on its whereabouts.
During proceedings at Kingston Crown Court, the jury heard that the other suspect, 48-year-old Larry Fraser, had already admitted to the burglary.
Prosecuting attorney Philip Stott described Mr. Love as a “relatively successful builder,” contrasting him with Fraser, who was “financially struggling” and possessed only £1.75 in his bank account the day prior to the crime.
On the day of the incident, Mr. Love made a £200 transfer to Fraser, as stated by Mr. Stott.
On the night of the heist, both men’s mobile phones were traced to the area surrounding the gallery, and it was reported that Fraser called Mr. Love shortly after breaching the gallery doors and seizing the painting.
After exiting the gallery, Fraser brought the print to a nearby location where he stashed the artwork and changed his clothing, according to trial testimonies.
Shortly thereafter, the night security guard at that building was “taken aback” to discover a “large painting” near an interior door, having previously not seen it there earlier in the evening, as explained by Mr. Stott.
He asserted that the pair pushed past the guard, retrieved the artwork, and then drove to an apartment complex in the Isle of Dogs where Mr. Love unloaded the Banksy piece.
Mr. Stott noted that Mr. Love’s home featured “a relatively large number of pictures, about four, depicting love hearts,” suggesting that the stolen print was “consistent with the others.”
He reasoned that since Mr. Love already displayed multiple love heart-themed artworks, the piece was likely stolen with the intent of integrating it into his collection once the immediate aftermath of the theft subsided.
Mr. Love, residing in North Stifford, Grays, Essex, denies the charges of burglary, and the trial is ongoing.
