Art Thief Sentenced to Three Years for Stealing Rare Map

Melvin West, 70, a prolific art thief with a history of offenses dating back decades, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court for stealing a rare map by Dutch cartographer Frederick de Wit. The map, titled "100 Nova Orbis," is one of only three known copies in existence and remains missing.

West visited The Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich on multiple occasions in late 2024 and early 2025. He eventually removed the map from a valuable atlas on February 26, 2025, using a Stanley knife. Museum staff discovered a discarded blade, and DNA evidence linked it to West. CCTV footage also identified him as the last person alone in the reading room.

The atlas was valued at £50,000 but was reduced to £20,000 due to the damage caused by West. The stolen map alone is estimated to be worth £6,000 on the black market. The museum described the map as a "symbolic work of art" and noted that the harm extended beyond monetary value, leading them to invest in new security cameras.

During court proceedings, West pleaded guilty to theft, criminal damage, and possession of a bladed article in May at Bromley Magistrates' Court. He was evasive about the map's whereabouts, securing multiple court adjournments and suggesting it was being restored by a third party. However, Judge Charlotte Welsh rejected his defense's final request for a seven-day adjournment to retrieve the map, citing West's repeated unreliability and previous false statements.

Judge Welsh stated that West had been given ample opportunity over eight months to return the map, even before his arrest in February. She noted that he had previously claimed to have access to the map and could return it within seven days, a promise he did not fulfill. The court heard that West has 27 convictions for 107 offenses in the UK, including previous sentences in Hungary and France for theft and burglary under various identities. He was described by the judge as a "career criminal."

West received a three-year prison sentence for criminal damage, with concurrent sentences of 16 months for theft and six months for possession of a blade. Judge Welsh emphasized that the offenses warranted an immediate custodial sentence to deter others. The museum stated that the theft undermines the "bibliographical integrity" of the atlas and expressed concerns that it could inspire copycat crimes. Detective Constable Sophie Hayes appealed for information regarding the map's current location, highlighting that such thefts primarily benefit only the thieves.