Fitz Robbers get 18 years

The four men who burgled the Fitzwilliam Museum earlier this year have been jailed for a combined 18 years.

Martin Simos, the 15 year old who took part in the robbery, escaped with just a four-month detention and training order, whilst custodial sentences were dished out to the other criminals.

Steven Coughlan, 25, Robert Smith, and an unnamed third man were each given 6 years inside after pleading guilty to the break-in which took place in April.

The scene of the crime

Police have not recovered any of the £15million pound haul which was taken in the heist, which targeted Chinese jade carvings from the Qing, Qianlong and Ming eras.

It was originally thought that the artifacts were stolen ‘to order’ and will already have found homes back in China.

Some of the stolen items

Det Chief Insp Jim McCrorie said: “Today’s sentencing follows a large scale operation and a great deal of work to ensure those involved in this burglary were caught and convicted.

“Sadly the items, which are of huge cultural significance, have still not been traced but we remain committed to following any new lines of enquiry that could lead to their recovery.”

In the aftermath of the theft questions were raised about the security of the Museum, which had did not have its silent alarm linked to the police, allowing the thieves to leave unnoticed.