advers
1 Star Member
Posts: 24
|
Post by advers on Dec 24, 2011 15:13:41 GMT 1
Man accused of ripping Banksy work off wall and putting on eBay for £17,000 www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4016243/Man-accused-of-ripping-Banksy-work-off-wall-and-putting-on-eBay-for-17000.htmlA MAN today denied ripping a piece of Banksy artwork from a hotel wall and trying to sell it for £17,000 on eBay. Leon Lawrence, 31, is alleged to have removed the work from outside the four-star Hesperia Hotel in Victoria, central London, earlier this year. Lawrence is then said to have put the piece, called Sperm Alarm, up for sale on the internet auction site. The artwork attributed to the guerrilla graffiti artist shows 15 sperm swarming round a red Angus sprinkler alarm. Lawrence appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, where he denied theft, handling stolen goods, damaging property and attempting to convert or transfer criminal property. The offences are said to have been committed between February 9 and April 4, 2011. Lawrence, of Waterloo, central London, was remanded on unconditional bail by Judge Anthony Leonard QC and ordered to stand trial in the week beginning May 7, 2012. His court appearance comes just days after two new works attributed to the infamous artist, whose identity remains unknown to many, appeared in London. One image of a woman wearing high heels falling from the top of a building as she pushes a shopping trolley was discovered on the wall of disused offices in Mayfair. The second, made to look like a billboards saying 'Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock', was spotted in Canary Wharf.
|
|
|
|
Post by cnh on Dec 24, 2011 16:03:50 GMT 1
Not sure if I've imagined this but wasn't the guy selling I removed invader earlier in the year called Leon? chances are it's the same fella! Man accused of ripping Banksy work off wall and putting on eBay for £17,000 www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4016243/Man-accused-of-ripping-Banksy-work-off-wall-and-putting-on-eBay-for-17000.htmlA MAN today denied ripping a piece of Banksy artwork from a hotel wall and trying to sell it for £17,000 on eBay. Leon Lawrence, 31, is alleged to have removed the work from outside the four-star Hesperia Hotel in Victoria, central London, earlier this year. Lawrence is then said to have put the piece, called Sperm Alarm, up for sale on the internet auction site. The artwork attributed to the guerrilla graffiti artist shows 15 sperm swarming round a red Angus sprinkler alarm. Lawrence appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, where he denied theft, handling stolen goods, damaging property and attempting to convert or transfer criminal property. The offences are said to have been committed between February 9 and April 4, 2011. Lawrence, of Waterloo, central London, was remanded on unconditional bail by Judge Anthony Leonard QC and ordered to stand trial in the week beginning May 7, 2012. His court appearance comes just days after two new works attributed to the infamous artist, whose identity remains unknown to many, appeared in London. One image of a woman wearing high heels falling from the top of a building as she pushes a shopping trolley was discovered on the wall of disused offices in Mayfair. The second, made to look like a billboards saying 'Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock', was spotted in Canary Wharf. |
|
|
|
Post by ilmambo on Dec 24, 2011 16:08:08 GMT 1
that Leon guy tried to sell also 1 or 2 removed Invaders right?
|
|
|
|
Post by ilmambo on Dec 24, 2011 16:10:08 GMT 1
found it!  "leeonleeon", it must be him. |
|
|
|
Post by ilmambo on Dec 24, 2011 16:12:17 GMT 1
|
|
yeah
1 Star Member
Posts: 210
|
Post by yeah on Dec 24, 2011 16:13:44 GMT 1
best news I've heard all year... |
|
sean
3 Star Member
Posts: 731
Member is Online
|
Post by sean on Dec 24, 2011 16:44:02 GMT 1
Not the greatest contributor was he? With ref those Invader pieces it'll be interesting to see if he asks for other offences to be taken into account. He even admits as such in his comments. |
|
|
|
Post by hal9001 on Dec 24, 2011 20:26:00 GMT 1
I'm going to quote myself here just because I was laughed off.
from Feb 2011 "Put on hold for a second that this is not a good idea in the first place. Then realize that this alarm is an emergency device, and it makes this guy a complete moron who should be destined for some jail time.
Last time I heard of someone removing a stop sign from its intended location they were charged with murder when a wreck at the intersection happened.
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY DEVICE THAT IF NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY COULD HAVE HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES. For what 17k? Have fun buddy, looks like you'll be getting a new roommate named ROCCO who will be showering with you! Mind your soap on a rope. Dope!
« Last Edit: Feb 15, 2011, 4:25pm"
If this were not a safety device of a hotel with lawyers and deep pockets, or if he had not put himself on ebay not hours after the "heist" then he might have gotten away with this.
As it is he did everything wrong from the word 'go' and deserves to be on the TV Show "World's Dumbest Criminals"!
|
|
|
|
Post by cnh on Dec 26, 2011 21:51:48 GMT 1
^ really I'd love to know that story  |
|
|
|
Post by ilmambo on Dec 27, 2011 12:11:44 GMT 1
I don't think that it's fair that I name him but I have been in contact with him just before The Sun's story broke. The Sperm Alarm piece now resides in Switzerland (so I'm told) if Lawrence is accused of " theft, handling stolen goods, damaging property and attempting to convert or transfer criminal property." the Sperm Alarm should be now a criminal evidence so the forum member who bought and flipped it for profit and the Swiss guy who own the alarm now, they should be involved in this case too. no? |
|
fredquimbyfan
1 Star Member
still seeking Banksy originals - discretion guaranteed
Posts: 228
|
Post by fredquimbyfan on Dec 27, 2011 12:37:56 GMT 1
I'm no lawyer but I don't think that is necessarily the case...
|
|
|
|
Post by Guest on Dec 27, 2011 12:46:57 GMT 1
also not a lawyer but i think ilmambo is right shouldn't the forum member be done for handling stolen goods and transferring stolen property? and then the guy that currently owns it would have it seized because its stolen?
but surely if they have decided to do it with this banksy then they should go after the many invaders that you see flying around... and i would love it if they even went back through the many previously stolen pieces...
|
|
|
|
Post by gibbin82 on Dec 27, 2011 13:12:57 GMT 1
also not a lawyer but i think ilmambo is right shouldn't the forum member be done for handling stolen goods and transferring stolen property? and then the guy that currently owns it would have it seized because its stolen? but surely if they have decided to do it with this banksy then they should go after the many invaders that you see flying around... and i would love it if they even went back through the many previously stolen pieces... The difference with this compared to the many other ripped off pieces on eBay is that part of this is the alarm, which is the property of the hotel and the case is more about this than the work by Banksy which would be difficult to prove that it belonged to anyone. Also the amount of criminal damage caused during the removal to a privately owned building is significantly greater than that caused by the removal of a few tiles from a British rail bridge or public owned building and in their case they are not bothered because they look at it as it is not their money that will be lost in repairing any damage. |
|
