Germany: Theft and destruction of a Celtic treasure of 483 gold coins: "Exemplary" sentences for the criminals: 4 to 11 years in prison
The four German men accused of the theft of a collection of nearly 500 Celtic gold coins from a Bavarian museum, which has since disappeared, were sentenced Tuesday to lengthy prison terms, the longest of which was up to 11 years. The court found evidence that three of the four defendants, aged 44 to 52, had broken into the museum. The fourth defendant was not convicted in this case, but of other burglaries. They all remained silent during the trial.
On November 22, 2022, 483 gold coins dating from the 1st century BC were stolen at night from the Museum of Celtic and Roman Art in Manching, north of Munich. The fate of this collection, the largest discovery of Celtic gold from the 20th century and with a market value of approximately €1.3 million, "could not be clarified during the proceedings," the court emphasized. Part of the loot was irretrievably destroyed: of approximately 3.7 kg of coins, around 500 grams were found melted down—perhaps to make them easier to sell—at the home of one of the defendants. The rest of the treasure remains unaccounted for.
In determining the sentences of the "members of a gang operating on a national scale" convicted of this singular theft and other burglaries, the chamber took into account, in particular, "the loss of the Celtic treasure as an irreplaceable cultural heritage," the court emphasized.
Fdesouche
