A man named Larry Fraser was sentenced to 13 months in prison after he broke into a London gallery and stole a numbered, signed Banksy print from the “Girl with Balloon” series. He smashed through the gallery’s glass front door while wearing a mask, grabbed the artwork, and fled. Despite his attempt to disguise himself, police identified him through surveillance cameras and apprehended him within days, recovering the piece unharmed.
In court, Fraser said he committed the burglary because he was under pressure from a long-standing drug debt. The judge called the crime bold and serious, refusing to suspend his sentence. The gallery’s manager expressed deep relief at the swift recovery of the rare and valuable print.
