Law, crime and regulation

THE owner of a tearoom in Horncastle, Lincolnshire claims he is a victim of bureaucracy after he was told he could face prosecution for selling antiques from the premises.

BUDGET proposals to encourage art giving by discounting inheritance tax could actually damage wider philanthropy says a specialist law firm.

FRENCH auction houses have toughened their stance on Chinese bidders after a series of well-publicised problems with non-payment.

A £5000 reward has been offered for the return of the stock of Somerset jewellers Joseph Leonard, which was stolen in a raid on March 28.

A MAN who stole antiques worth more than £1.2m from country houses across the country has been jailed for nine years.

THE latest imports and exports figures have shown a major recovery in the value of art and antiques traded annually between the UK and overseas.

DETERMINING whether something is an artwork or not is at the centre of an appeal to the UK Supreme Court in a copyright dispute between Star Wars producer George Lucas and one of his former prop makers.

ON the evening of Tuesday, March 1 thieves broke into Willingham Auctions and stole four fruit-decorated Royal Worcester vases.

THE saga of the portrait sold by Christie’s in 1998 as ‘19th century German’, but now claimed as a long-lost work by Leonardo da Vinci, has taken a new turn following the dismissal of the complaint against Christie’s lodged by the work’s consignor.

THE Greek courts have commuted the sentence of antiquities dealer Malcolm Hay from four years to three, suspended for three years.

FORMER Scotland Yard Art & Antiques Squad detective Vernon Rapley is one of two speakers at a lecture on art crime at the Royal Geographical Society on April 5.

THIS marble portrait bust of Ann Borrett by the 18th century sculptor Henry Cheere was stolen from the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Shoreham, Kent at the end of January.

THE case of a hacker who stole more than £180,000 from eBay users has highlighted weaknesses in PayPal’s procedures.

POLICE have thanked two female members of staff who tackled jewellery robbers in a raid on an East Sussex antiques shop.

A TAXIDERMY rhinoceros head mount has been stolen Sworders auction house in Stansted Mountfitchet in what police believe was a raid planned by professional thieves.

THE ban on selling rhino horn trophies, scheduled for introduction over the next couple of months, has been brought into force with immediate effect.

THE Office of Fair Trading has taken action against companies that offer to buy gold from consumers by post.

A NEW scam involving a fake PayPal account has come to light after a dealer lost £1200 of stock to an ‘overseas buyer’ who never paid.

OFFICERS from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit have arrested a man in connection with the sale of fake Churchill memorabilia.

AUSTRALIAN dealers and auctioneers are joining forces to fight the current Artist’s Resale Right scheme introduced to the country seven months ago.