A MAN who stole thousands of pounds worth of paintings and books from art galleries, dealers and an auction house has been handed an eight-month prison sentence.
Paul Whiting, 71, of Hounslow in west London, pleaded guilty to six counts of theft committed between June and October last year. The pictures stolen included a portrait of Pope Innocent X, valued at £3000-5000, which was stolen during an auction viewing in Kensington. He had then taken it to a west London gallery and sold it for £70.
The theft was uncovered after an employee of the gallery took the painting to be valued at Christie’s on November 1, where it was recognised as a stolen painting.