Two men have been charged with theft after a Banksy artwork was stolen from a London gallery.
Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with non-residential burglary after they burgled Girl with Balloon.
Following an investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Mobile Squad, the artwork was recovered and is due to be returned.
Fraser, from Beckton, East London, and Love, from North Stifford, Essex, were charged on Thursday 11 September with non-residential burglary and remanded in police custody.
They both appeared in court on Thursday 12 September, where they were released on bail to appear again at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday 9 October.
Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, have been charged with theft after Banksy’s Girl with Balloon (pictured) was stolen from a London gallery on New Cavendish Street.
The investigation was launched following a robbery at a gallery on New Cavendish Street at around 11pm on Sunday 8 September.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police confirmed that Banksy’s Balloon Girl was the only item stolen and that it has now been recovered and will be returned to the gallery.
The work, which depicts a young woman with black graffiti who has just released a red heart-shaped balloon, is one of the street artist’s most recognizable pieces.
It was first seen on Waterloo’s South Bank in 2002, alongside the quote: “There is always hope”.
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