A 61-year-old man admitted handling around £400,000 of clothes and musical equipment taken from artist Damien Hirst's London studio, while his 36-year-old son has been charged with burglary in connection with the raid, prosecutors said.
Leslie Gomm, appearing via video-link from HMP Wandsworth at Isleworth Crown Court, confirmed his personal details as he admitted a charge of handling stolen goods. Prosecutor Ravinder Johal told the court that Gomm's son, Liam, has now been charged with burglary in relation to the break-in at Hirst's Thames Wharf studio in west London.
The theft occurred between June 27 and June 30 at the Thames Wharf building, which overlooks the River Thames between Hammersmith and Putney bridges, court papers said. Stolen items identified by prosecutors included unique T-shirts, a set of twelve specially adapted jackets, designer jeans attributed to Hirst and a set of high-tech speakers.
Mr Johal said that Liam Gomm's plea and a trial preparation hearing are listed for Sept. 19 at Kingston Crown Court. The prosecutor told the court that "the son said he was asleep and had no knowledge of the burglary." Defence counsel Samir Asha told the court that, in an initial statement, Hirst had described many of the items as work in progress and that "the items stolen may have not had as much value."
Leslie Gomm was remanded in custody by Judge Edward Connell to appear with his son at Kingston Crown Court on Sept. 19. Court documents say Leslie Gomm handled the stolen items between June 29 and July 8.
Neighbours at the Thames Wharf complex told reporters after the incident that any expensive or celebrated works by Hirst appeared to have been left untouched, and that whoever carried out the theft had targeted clothing and equipment. "Whoever it was just went straight past invaluable artwork and made off with thousands in clothes," one resident said.
Damien Hirst, a Turner Prize-winning artist who rose to prominence in the 1990s, is among the world's wealthiest artists. His work has included a tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde and a cabinet of thousands of individually painted pills; sales have reached multimillion-pound sums. Media reports have estimated Hirst's net worth at around £300 million.
Police and court records in the current proceedings have focused on the alleged theft of garments and technical equipment rather than Hirst's better-known large-scale artworks. The handling charge admitted by Leslie Gomm carries the prospect of prison; sentencing and the outcome of the burglary charge against his son will be determined at future hearings.
A plea and trial preparation hearing for Liam Gomm is scheduled for Sept. 19 at Kingston Crown Court, where both men are expected to appear. The Crown Prosecution Service and Metropolitan Police did not provide further comment at the time of the hearing recorded in court documents.