Last weekend on Sunday, 8th September, at around 11 p.m., a thief used a hammer to smash the windows of Grove Gallery in Fitzrovia, London, and steal Banksy’s iconic Girl with Balloon, valued at £270,000. The theft happened as the gallery wrapped up a successful two-week Banksy exhibition.
The thief spent just 30 seconds breaking the window, then entered, grabbed the Banksy print, and fled on foot towards Tottenham Court Road, all in plain view of passing cars and pedestrians.
Early Monday morning, Grove Gallery manager Lindor Mehmetaj was alerted to the break-in. After notifying the police, he contacted gallery CEO James Ryan. Police reviewed CCTV footage and quickly handed the case to the Flying Squad. Nearby shop owners and gallery staff provided statements, revealing that two men, not one, were involved in the theft.
James Ryan commented,
The swift action of the Flying Squad from the outset was incredible from start to finish, and I can’t thank them enough for every effort they have made. To say this theft was devastating and heartbreaking is an understatement. The Banksy works were on display to pay homage to an incredible artist and to allow everyone to enjoy them. To witness such a brazen theft, carried out on foot, was just shocking.
In the days following the break-in, Flying Squad detectives, led by Thomas Grimshaw and Mark Pettit, with assistance from DC Julie Moran, stayed in close contact with Ryan. Investigators spent hundreds of hours reviewing CCTV footage across London.
On Thursday, 12th September, detectives from the Flying Squad successfully recovered the stolen Banksy. Two men, Larry Fraser, 47, of Beckton, and James Love, 53, of North Stifford, were charged with non-residential burglary and have been remanded in custody. They appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on 12 September and are due at Kingston Crown Court on 9th October.
The artwork, number 72 of 150, was returned to the gallery, now sealed in a police evidence bag—its value likely further increased by its infamous history.
