Metal detectorists plotted to sell coins of ‘immense historical significance’ worth over £750,000
Two metal detectorists who hatched an illegal plot to sell Anglo-Saxon coins worth more than £750,000 overseas are facing jail.
Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, were convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property, namely ninth century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking.
The items, worth £766,000 and which are of “immense historical significance”, have never been declared as Treasure and have not been handed to the Crown.
Jurors at Durham Crown Court also convicted both men of separate charges of possessing criminal property, thought to be part of a larger trove of 300 coins worth millions of pounds known as the Herefordshire Hoard.
Just one third of the collection, unearthed in Leominster, has been recovered.
Best, of Bishop Auckland, was arrested with three coins at a hotel in Durham in May 2019, as part of a police sting.
He believed he was meeting a metals expert, hired by a broker working for a wealthy US buyer – but in fact, he was speaking to an undercover detective.
Pilling, who ran an engineering company, was arrested at his home in Loveclough, Lancashire, where a further 41 coins were seized.
These 44 coins are thought to have originated from the Herefordshire Hoard, a find worth millions of pounds, which was discovered in 2015.
Four others have already been convicted for their roles in concealing the find – including George Powell, 41, and Layton Davies, 54, who were jailed for more than 18 years at Worcester Crown Court in November 2019.
The police launched an undercover operation after Best tried to sell coins to a genuine American collector, who contacted UK-based experts about the availability of extremely rare and valuable examples – before the authorities were notified.
Best and Pilling were charged in August 2021 and stood trial this month.
Judge James Adkin adjourned the case, telling the defendants that the sentencing would be “complicated” due to the rarity of the offences.
He remanded both men in custody, saying: “You have both been convicted of what I consider to be compelling acts of serious criminality, in relation to these artefacts.
“You are both aware of what the sentence is likely to be, imprisonment for years.”
The ninth century coins are thought to have been buried by a Viking. Pic: Durham Police
Coins will ‘transform’ our understanding of history
The coins are thought to have been made between 874 and 879 CE and include two extremely rare examples of two-headed coins, depicting King Alfred of Wessex, known as Alfred the Great, and the last Mercian king, Ceolwulf II – a figure discredited by Saxon writers as a Viking puppet ruler.
Experts believe the coins indicate Alfred must have had an alliance with Ceolwulf – before he was largely erased from the history books by Alfred’s court.
A coin in Craig Best’s possession when he was arrested. Pic: Durham Police
The Mercian ruler disappeared from history in 879 CE, with Alfred inexplicably recorded as ruling a large part of Ceolwulf’s kingdom.
The find casts doubt on the popular belief that Alfred the Great saved England almost single-handedly from the Vikings.
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Dr Gareth Williams, curator of the Early Medieval Coins and Viking Collections at the British Museum, said the coins were “very much part of our heritage” and had “transformed our knowledge and understanding” of late ninth century politics.
“The coins show beyond any possible doubt that there was a political and economic alliance between Alfred and Ceolwulf II.
“Together, the two kings carried out a major reform of the coinage, introducing high-quality silver coins, with the Two Emperors design symbolising this alliance, followed by a second joint coinage.
“As more coins emerge, it is clear this monetary alliance lasted for some years,” Dr Williams added.
“The theft of finds like this are not just a theft from the landowner, who [has] rights, it is a theft of our heritage.
Following the conviction, Durham Constabulary’s Detective Superintendent Lee Gosling said the investigation had been “lengthy and complex”, adding: “It is astonishing the history books need re-writing because of this find.
“The coins come from a hoard of immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted that they are now with the British Museum.”
UK
Teenager living in ‘continuous pain’ after surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar carried out ‘inappropriate’ operations
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
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Finias’s surgery pictures
Care of over 700 patients being assessed
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
If agreed, the deal will be the third in two weeks, following trade agreements with India and the US.
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
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