Two men have been convicted of plotting to illegally sell Anglo-Saxon coins of “immense historical significance” abroad.
The metal detectorists were found guilty of conspiring to sell criminal property worth £766,000 ($955,000), namely ninth-century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking.
Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were also convicted of separate charges after a trial at Durham Crown Court of possessing the criminal property, which was thought to be part of a larger, undeclared find known as the Herefordshire Hoard.
The coins over which they were convicted have never been declared as treasure and have not been handed to the Crown.
Best, of South View, Bishop Auckland, was arrested with three coins at a Durham hotel in May 2019 in a sting operation by police.
He thought he was meeting a metals expert, employed by a broker working for a wealthy US-based buyer, but he was speaking to an undercover detective.
Pilling, who owned an engineering business, was arrested at his home in Loveclough, Lancashire, and another 41 coins were seized.
These 44 coins came from the Herefordshire Hoard, discovered in 2015, worth millions of pounds, and which was also not declared.
Gold coins from 7th century found hidden in wall - in pictures
Four people have already been convicted for their roles in concealing that find.
The sting was set up after Best tried to sell coins to a US collector, who then contacted UK-based experts about the apparent availability of extremely rare and valuable examples, and the authorities were alerted.
It was believed the coins were made between 874 and 879 and were buried by a Viking during this particularly violent period of English history.
They included two extremely rare examples of two-headed coins, showing Alfred of Wessex and Ceolwulf, a figure who was discredited by Saxon writers as a Viking puppet ruler.
After the conviction, Det Supt Lee Gosling, said: “This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history.
“It is astonishing that the history books need rewriting because of this find.
“These coins come from a hoard of an immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted that they are now with the British Museum.
“This has been a lengthy and complex investigation and I would like to thank our specialist officers and the historical experts for all their help.”
Dr Gareth Williams, a coin expert from the British Museum, said: “New finds have the potential to increase our knowledge. The coins are very much part of our heritage.
“The theft of finds like this are not just a theft from the landowner, who have rights, it is a theft of our heritage.”
Judge James Adkin said sentencing would be complicated as the offence was rare and he adjourned the case until Thursday.
Remanding them in custody, he told the convicted men: “You have both been convicted of what I consider to be compelling evidence of serious criminality, in relation to these artefacts.
“You are both aware of what the sentence is likely to be, imprisonment for years.”
The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
