Ashmo Chief's Threat Horror
THE TROUBLE FACED by the Ashmolean Museum over the Millennium continues. In the last few weeks the museum's director has endured a month-long barrage of threats and abuse at the hands of a sixteen year-old blackmailer from Cowley.
Dr Christopher Brown received death threats by telephone and e-mail from the boy who claims that he was responsible for the unsolved theft of Cezanne's £3 million landscape over the New Year. He demanded £1 million in ransom, stating: "If you make the wrong choice, you will be able to watch your family and friends die around you".
Dr Brown was so upset by the blackmail campaign that he declined to be interviewed. He released a statement saying: "This whole episode has been very distressing for me and my family. However, the main issue is, of course, that we remain hopeful that the Cezanne painting will be returned to the Ashmolean and put on display once more for all our visitors and the people of Oxford".
It took police a month to trace the boy from Cowley, perhaps raising the previously-debated issue of co-operation between the Ashmolean and Oxford police once again.
Four months into the search for the thief, a spokesperson for the museum stated that they had not heard anything from the police "for a while" despite the acclaimed worth of the artwork and the fact that no leads had yet proved successful. She was even unaware whether or not the case had been closed. At the same time, the police said that they had been in constant contact and stated: "we have worked extremely hard" and "we do believe that the painting will be found".
The 16 year-old was sentenced to a 12 month detention and training order last week after pleading guilty to the charge of attempting to extort money using a computer.
The mysterious theft of the £3 million Cezanne on New Year's Eve inspired a fruitless international search that baffled the experts both locally and across the art world. It was suggested at the time that the painting was stolen for a private collection but no evidence surfaced in the following months and the matter remains unresolved.
This latest incident has emphasised the continuing confusion that surrounds the apparent impossibility of the crime. The theft involved smoke bombs in the style of The Thomas Crown Affair, which helped to foil the museum security system.
Thames Valley Police pointed out early on in the investigation that, if the painting had fallen into the hands of a private collector then it was unlikely to be discovered until that person's death. As Alexandra Smith from the Art Loss Register said: "We never have any proof that paintings are stolen to order and if that is indeed the case, then they never surface again."
If this is the case then the truth behind the incident may not be known for some decades. The boy, who cannot be named, has taken advantage of the situation and the Ashmolean's understandable sensitivity over the issue.
Despite this recent excitement, the case of the Millennium burglar remains unsolved.
12th Oct 2000